On April 16th, don't be surprised if the woman next to you on the subway looks like she forgot to get dressed for work. She won't be alone. People in their pajamas (睡衣裤)will be spotted all across the country—traveling on the subway, in line for their morning coffee, and even walking into office buildings. That's because people will be trading in their business suits for pajamas and celebrating National Wear Your Pajamas to Work Day.
There is nothing more comfortable than sitting at your desk in soft cotton flannel (法兰绒的）pajamas or wearing your favorite slippers while you deeply think about the day's tasks. The Pajama Gram Company, which produces and sells pajama, believes that Americans need a break, especially the day after income taxes are due. That's why they are celebrating National Wear Your Pajamas to Work Day.
Wearing pajamas to work can be relaxing and can actually help employees be more productive. David Alien, author of The Art of Stress-free Productivity, promotes (倡导）relaxation to increase productivity. "Our ability to be productive is directly proportional (成比例的）to our ability to relax," said Allen. "Only when our minds are clear and our thoughts are organized can we achieve stress free productivity."
At the Pajama Gram Company, it's not unusual to find employees wearing their pajamas at important meetings or at their desks. The company even invented the term" life is bananas, send some pajamas，"to describe how they feel about the world we live in.
The Pajama Grma Company offers over 100 styles of pajamas, robes, slippers and spa products. Each pajama gram gift comes along with beautiful pajamas, lavender(熏衣草)bath tea, Do-Not-Disturb sign for the door and a gift card. On April 16th, people in America often ________
| A．forget to change pajamas for work |
| B．do pajama business on the way to work |
| C．go to work in their pajamas |
| D．celebrate their traditional festival |
People celebrate this special day because they are expected to __________
| A．work in a more effective way |
| B．increase their ability to relax |
| C．spend less on their daily clothes |
| D．have more time to rest |
The underlined word "bananas" can be replaced by __________.
| A．easy and free |
| B．happy and interesting |
| C．crazy and busy |
| D．full of fruits |
According to the passage, which gifts will you receive from the Pajama Gram Company?
a. a sleepwear
b. a beautiful box
c. a Do-Not-Disturb sign
d. lavender bath tea
e. a personalized gift card
| A．c, d，e |
| B．a, c，d |
| C．b, c，d, e |
| D．a, c，d, e |
The main purpose of the passage is to __________.
| A．advertise the Pajama Gram Company |
| B．introduce a special day in America |
| C．describe the busy life in America |
| D．advise people to buy more pajamas |
The old man walked with a cane (拐杖) slowly into the restaurant. His poor jacket, patched (打补丁的) trousers, and worn-out shoes made him stand out from the usual Saturday morning breakfast crowd. Unforgettable were his pale blue eyes that sparkled like diamonds, large rosy cheeks, and thin lips that held a steady smile.
He walked toward a table by the window. A young waitress watched him and ran over to him, saying, “Here, Sir. Let me give you a hand with that chair.”
Without a word, he smiled and nodded a thank you. She pulled the chair away from the table. Supporting him with one arm, she helped him move in front of the chair, and get comfortably seated. Then she pushed the table up close to him, and leaned his cane against the table where he could reach it.
In a soft, clear voice he said, “Thank you, Miss.”
“You’re welcome, Sir.” She replied. “My name is Mary. I’ll be back in a moment. If you need anything, just wave at me.”
After he had finished a hearty meal of pancakes, bacon, and hot lemon tea, Mary brought him the change, helping him up from his chair and out from behind the table. She handed him his cane, and walked with him to the front door. Holding the door open for him, she said, “Come back and see us, Sir!”
He nodded a thank you and said softly with a smile, “You are very kind!”
When Mary went to clean his table, she was shocked. Under his plate she found a business card and a note written on the napkin, under which was a $ 100 bill.
The note on the napkin read, “Dear Mary, I respect you very much, and you respect yourself, too. It shows by the way you treat others. You have found the secret of happiness. Your kind gestures will shine through those who meet you.”
The man she had served was the owner of the restaurant. This was the first time that she, or any of his employees, had seen him in person.Mary ran over to the old man because _____.
| A．the old man was the boss of the restaurant |
| B．she was worried that the old man might cause trouble to the restaurant |
| C．the old man had asked her to wait on him |
| D．she saw the old man had some difficulty moving and taking a seat |
The words the man left on the napkin suggested that _____.
| A．respecting others means respecting oneself |
| B．serving others is a respectable job |
| C．Mary would get a rise as a result of her kindness |
| D．Mary’s kind service would bring in more money for her |
Which of the following titles goes best with the story?
| A．A kind- hearted Girl | B．Kindness Means Opportunities |
| C．Shining Kindness | D．A Special boss |
People have strange ideas about food. For example, the tomato is a kind of very delicious vegetable. It is one of useful plants that can be prepared in many ways. It has rich nutrition and vitamin in it. But in the 18th century, Americans never ate tomatoes. They grew them in their gardens because tomato plants are so pretty. But they thought the vegetable was poisonous (有毒的). They called tomatoes “poison apples.”
President Thomas Jefferson, however, knew that tomatoes were good to eat. He was a learned man. He had been to Paris, where he learned to love the taste of tomatoes. He grew many kinds of tomatoes in his garden. The President taught his cook a way for a cream of tomato soup. This beautiful pink soup was served at the President’s party. The guests thought the soup tasted really good. They never thought their president would serve his honored guests poison apples.
Jefferson never spoke to his honored (忠实的) guests about the fact.The passage tells us that Jefferson was a President who learned to love the taste of tomatoes .
| A．when he was a little boy | B．while he was in Paris |
| C．because his parents told him so | D．from books |
According to the text, _______ made the beautiful pink soup served at the President’s party?
| A．the President himself | B．a French cook |
| C．the President’s cook | D．the President’s wife |
From the passage we know all the honored guests invited by Jefferson were .
| A．people from other countries | B．from France |
| C．men only | D．people of his own country |
According to the passage, which of the following is NOT true?
| A．All of the guests knew the soup that was served at the President’s party was made of tomatoes. |
| B．All of the guests thought the soup which was prepared by the President’s cook was nice. |
| C．All of the guests thought the taste of the beautiful pink soup was nice. |
| D．None of the guests knew that their president would serve his honored guests poison apples. |
A popular saying goes, “Sticks and stone may break my bones, but words will never hurt me.” However, that’s not really true. Words have the power to build us up or tear us down. It doesn’t matter if the words come from someone else or ourselves– the positive and negative effects are just as lasting.
We all talk to ourselves sometimes. We’re usually too embarrassed to admit it, though. But we really shouldn’t be, because more and more experts believe talking to ourselves out loud is a healthy habit.
This “self-talk” helps us motivate ourselves, remember things, solve problems, and calm ourselves down. Beware, though, that as much as 77% of self-talk tends to be negative. So in order to stay positive, we should only speak words of encouragement to ourselves. We should also be quick to give ourselves a pat on the back. The next time you finish a project, do well in a test, or finally clean your room, join me in saying, “Good job!”
Words possess power because of their lasting effects. Many of us regret something we once said. And we remember unkind words said to us! Before speaking, we should always ask ourselves: Is it true? Is it loving? Is it needed? If what we want to say doesn’t pass this test, then it’s better left unsaid.
Words possess power: both positive and negative. Those around us receive encouragement when we speak positively. We can offer hope, build self-esteem(自尊) and motive others to do their best. Negative words destroy all those things. Will we use our words to hurt or to heal? The choice is ours.The author argues in the first paragraph that ________.
| A．words will never hurt us at all |
| B．positive effects last longer than negative effects |
| C．words have lasting effects on us |
| D．negative words last longer than positive effects |
Why should we not feel embarrassed when talking to ourselves?
| A．Talking to ourselves is believed to be good for our health. |
| B．It does harm to have “self-talk” when we are alone. |
| C．Talking to ourselves helps us to solve all the problems. |
| D．Almost everybody has the habit of talking to oneself. |
The underlined phrase “give ourselves a pat on the back” in Paragraph 3 means _______.
| A．blame ourselves | B．punish ourselves |
| C．talk to ourselves | D．praise ourselves |
Which of the following statements would the author agree to?
| A．It is impossible for unkind words to be forgotten. |
| B．It is better to think twice before talking to others. |
| C．Words always possess long positive effects. |
| D．Kind words are sometimes not needed at all. |
Cheating can happen in a lot of different ways. When people cheat, it’s not fair to other people, like the kids who studied for the test or who the true winners of a game were.
Many people like the action of cheating. It makes difficult things seem easy, like getting all the right answers on the test. But it doesn’t solve the problem of not knowing the material and it won’t help on the next test---unless the person cheats again.
People lose respect for cheaters and think less of them. The cheaters themselves may feel bad because they know they are not really earning that good grade. And, if they get caught cheating, they will be in trouble at school, and may be at home, too.
Some kids cheat because they’re busy or lazy and they want to get good grades without spending time studying. Other kids might feel like they can’t pass the test without cheating, even when there seems to be a good reason for cheating, cheating isn’t a good idea.
If you were sick or upset about something the night before the day and couldn’t study, it would be better to talk with the teacher about this. And if you don’t have enough time to study for a test because of swim practice, you need to talk with you parents about how to balance swimming and school.
A kid who thinks cheating is the only way to pass a test needs to talk with the teacher and his or her parents so they can find some solutions(解决办法) together. Talking about these problems and working them out will feel better than cheating.The author thinks that when kids cheat in class, ______.
| A．it is unfair to other people. |
| B．it does harm to their health. |
| C．teachers should punish them. |
| D．teachers shouldn’t stop them at once. |
Some students like cheating mainly because______.
| A．the material in the test is very difficult. |
| B．they want to do better than the others. |
| C．cheating can make hard things seem very easy. |
| D．they have little time to study their lessons. |
The fourth paragraph mainly tells us______.
| A．some kids can’t pass the test without cheating |
| B．why kids cheat in the test. |
| C．cheating isn’t a good idea. |
| D．some kids don’t spend the time studying. |
We can learn from the passage _______.
| A．cheaters are often thought highly of |
| B．people show no respect for those who cheat. |
| C．parents whose kids cheat are often in trouble. |
| D．kids cheat in the test because of swim practice. |
Dear Betty,
My roommate’s family wants me to celebrate Thanksgiving Day with them in their home. I accepted the invitation, and I’m excited about going, but I’m a little nervous about it, too. The social customs in my country are different from those here, so I’m a little worried about making mistakes.
Should I bring a gift, such as candy or flowers? Should I arrive on time or a little late? At the dinner table, how can I know which fork or knife to use? How can I let the family know that I’m thankful for their kindness?
Yours,
Knowing Nothing
Dear Knowing Nothing,
It’s a good idea to bring a gift when you go to a dinner party. Flowers are always welcome, or you can bring a bottle of wine if you know the family drink it.
You should arrive on time or five to ten minutes late. Don’t get there early. If you are going to be more than fifteen minutes late, you should call and tell them.
Try to relax at the dinner table. If you don’t know how to use the right fork, knife or spoon, just watch the other guests, and follow them. If you still have no idea of what to do, don’t be shy about asking the person next to you; it’s better to ask them than to be silently uncomfortable and nervous.
If you like the food, say so. Of course, you’ll thank the host and hostess for the meal and for their kindness. It’s also a good idea to send a card to thank them the day after.
Yours,
BettyKnowing Nothing wrote a letter to Betty to _____.
| A．tell Betty some good news |
| B．invite her to dinner |
| C．answer some questions |
| D．ask for some advice |
According to Betty, Knowing Nothing ______ when going to a dinner party.
| A．can only bring some flowers |
| B．should arrive on time or five to ten minutes late |
| C．can’t bring wine |
| D．should arrive twenty minutes late |
Betty does NOT advise Knowing Nothing to _____.
| A．keep silent at table |
| B．watch the other guests |
| C．ask the person beside him |
| D．relax at the dinner table |