At dawn on Friday,May 19,1780,farmers in New England stopped to wonder at the pink color of the sun.By noon the sky had darkened to midnight blackness,causing Americans,still in the painful struggle of a prolonged war of independence,to light candles and tremble at thoughts of the Last Judgment.As the birds quieted and no storm accompanied the darkness,men and women crowded into churches,where one minister commented that “The people were very attentive”.John Greenleaf Whittier later wrote that “Men prayed,and women wept;all ears grew sharp...”
A recent study of researchers,led by Richard Guyette from the University of Missouri Tree-Ring Laboratory,has shown that vast forest fires in the Algonquin Highlands of southern Ontario and elsewhere in Canada brought this event upon New England.The scientists have discovered “fire scars” on the rings for that year,left when the heat of a wildfire has killed a part of a tree’s cambium (形成层).Evidence collected also points to a drought that year.An easterly wind and low barometric pressure(低气压) helped force smoke into the upper atmosphere.“The record fits pretty close,”says Guyette.“We had the right fuel,the drought.The conditions were all there.”
Lacking the ability to communicate quickly over long distances,Americans in 1780 remained in the dark about the event,which had disappeared by the next day.Over the next several months,the papers carried heated debates about what brought the darkness.Some were the voices of angry prediction,such as one Massachusetts farmer who wrote,“Oh! Backsliding New England,attend now to the things which belong to your peace before they are forever hid from your eyes.”Others gave different answers.One stated that “a flaming star” had passed between the earth and the sun.Ash,argued another commentator.The debate,carried on throughout New England,where there were no scientific journals or academies yet,reflected an unfolding culture of scientific enquiry already sweeping the Western world,a revolution nearly as influential as the war for independence from the English.
New Englanders would not soon forget that dark day;it lived on in folklore,poems,and sermons for generations.New Englanders crowded into churches because they were frightened by .
| A．the pink color of the sun |
| B．the darkened sky at daytime |
| C．the Last Judgment on Friday |
| D．the American War of Independence |
What can we infer about the event in New England on May 19,1780?( )
| A．Prayers remained silent and attentive. |
| B．Night birds no longer came out to sing. |
| C．People’s ears became sharper than usual. |
| D．Midday meals were served by candlelight. |
According to the researchers,the origin of the event was .
| A．an east wind |
| B．a severe drought |
| C．some burning fuel |
| D．low barometric pressure |
What can be the best title for the text?( )
| A．New England’s dark day |
| B．Voices of angry prediction |
| C．There is no smoke without fire |
| D．Tree rings and scientific discovery |
Millions of British people have ditched the traditional “thank you” and replaced it with the less formal “cheers”, according to a survey.
Although the average person will say “thank you” nearly 5,000 times a year, one in three are more likely to throw in a “cheers” or “ta” where it’s needed, rather than risk sounding old fashioned.
One in 20 now say “nice one” instead, while younger generations are more likely to offer a “cool” than a “thank you”. “Merci”, “fab” and even “gracias” were also listed as common phrases to use, as was “much appreciated”.
One in twenty who took part in the survey of 2,000 people by the Food Network UK for Thank You Day, which is marked on November 24, 2011, said a formal “thank you” was now not often needed in everyday conversation. More than one in ten adults said they regularly wouldn’t say “thank you” if they were in a bad mood.
Most people declared that saying “thank you” was something drilled into them by their parents. A huge 70 percent of those questioned will say “thank you” to a person’s face without even meaning it, while a fifth avoid saying it when they know they should — on at least two occasions every day.
It seems our friends and family get the brunt (压力) of our bad manners with half admitting they’re not good at thanking those closest to them — many justifying (为……辩解) the lack of thanks because their family “already know I’m grateful”.
When spoken words won’t do, it falls to a nice text to do the job for most people. A thank you email is also popular, while a quarter turn to social networks to express gratitude. A quarter of British people say thank you with food, with 23 percent cooking a meal to show their appreciation to someone. Another 15 percent bake a cake. A third will still send a handwritten thank-you note — but 45 percent admit it’s been more than six months since they bothered to send one.
It follows that 85 percent of people will be annoyed at not getting the gratitude they feel they should receive.Most of the people who took part in the survey say that they say “thank you” _____.
| A．when they are in good mood | B．completely out of habit |
| C．when they feel truly grateful | D．purely out of politeness |
The underlined word “ditched” in Paragraph 1 means “_____”.
| A．abandoned | B．used | C．shared | D．grasped |
It can be learned from the passage that _____.
| A．different ways of expressing gratitude are all fashionable |
| B．people should avoid saying “thank you” nowadays |
| C．a thank-you note is still appreciated by most people |
| D．people in a bad mood never say “thank you” |
Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
| A．Most people express their gratitude to others by buying food for them. |
| B．About fifty percent of people try not to say thank you when they should. |
| C．Most people may feel natural when they fail to receive others’ gratitude. |
| D．Many people think it unnecessary to say thanks to their family members. |
Very far away from the city lived a poor farmer and his wife. In front of their house was a small dirt road. Very few cars drove on this road because it was so far from the city. On the dirt road, there was a big hole filled with water. The hole was very deep, but drivers on the road didn't know just how deep. Drivers always drove into the hole, but they never drove out.
One day, a man in a new car was driving down the road. He saw the hole with the water, but he didn't think it was very deep. He drove into the hole, but he couldn't drive out. The man saw the farmer on his tractor working in the field, and he signaled to the farmer. The farmer drove over to the man in the new car.
“Is there a problem?”asked the farmer.
“Yes,”said the man.“My car is stuck in this hole. Can you help me?”
“Maybe,”said the farmer.“But I'm very busy.”
“lf you help me, I'll pay you,” said the man.
“OK,”said the farmer. The farmer pulled the car out of the hole with his tractor, and the man paid him a lot of money. The man looked at the farmer and said,“You must. make a lot of money pulling cars out of this hole day and night.”
“Actually, no,”said the farmer.
“Why not?”asked the man.
“The hole is very deep, and a lot of people get stuck and ask for help. But I don't make money day and night because I don't pull cars out at night.”
“At night I'm busy filling the hole with water,” answered the farmer.The reason why few cars drove on the small dirt road was that __________ .
| A．there was a big and deep hole | B．the couple was not polite enough |
| C．it had a long distance from the city | D．drivers were afraid of being in the hole |
According to paragraph 2, we can know about the man in a new car __________ .
| A．he just learned to drive a car | B．it was the first time that he passed there |
| C．he knew how deep the hole was | D．he knew the farmer in the field |
What did the farmer usually do at night?
| A．He helped pull out cars. | B．He made money. |
| C．He filled water to the hole | D．He slept at home. |
If you are having trouble falling asleep, you are in good company. About 65% of Americans said they have sleeping problems a few nights each week, according to a recent study by the National Sleep Foundation. Sleeping too little can lead to a higher risk of becoming fat and getting depressed(沮丧的). But before you go to a doctor for advice, it is worth examining your sleeping habits one more time. Some of your favorite evening habits may have something to do with the sleeping problems.
Setting a Bright Alarm Clock
The light of your bright alarm clock can prevent you from falling asleep. You can make your room as dark as possible. Cover the bright numbers with a book or consider buying a small travel clock. Your cellphone alarm may also do the trick.
Counting Sheep
When you just can’t fall asleep, it’s useless to stay in bed to count sheep. If you’ve been trying to fall asleep for more than 30 minutes, the National Sleep Foundation suggests you get up to do some reading or watch TV for a while. Such activities will make you sleepy. Before you know it, you’ll be going back to bed really tired.
Exercising Late at Night?
Daytime workouts(锻炼) will keep you full of energy for hours. That’s why you don’t want to exercise within three hours of hitting the sack. Fierce(剧烈的) physical activity raise your body temperature and pumps your energy level—both are bad for a good night’s sleep.What can we learn from the first sentence of the passage?
| A．It’s not good to fail to fall asleep at night. |
| B．People in a good company often have sleeping problems. |
| C．There are many people who have sleeping problems. |
| D．You should find someone to talk to if you can’t fall asleep. |
The underlined part “hitting the sack” in the last paragraph means “______”.
| A．going back home | B．going to bed |
| C．going to the gym | D．falling asleep |
Which of the following is NOT mentioned in the passage?
| A．The bad results o f getting too little sleep. |
| B．Why the bright alarm clock keeps you awake. |
| C．What to do if you can’t fall asleep after 30 minutes. |
| D．Why watching TV and reading books make people sleepy. |
By writing the passage, the writer mainly wants to tell us _______.
| A．why so many people can’t sleep well at night |
| B．how to enjoy a good night’s sleep |
| C．that sleeping problems are troubling more and more people |
| D．that people may solve their sleeping problems by some habits |
He’s an old cobbler(修鞋匠) with a shop in the Marais, a historic area in Paris. When I took him my shoes, he at first told me, “I haven’t time. Take them to the other fellow on the main street. He’ll fix them for you right away.”
But I had my eyes on his shop for a long time. Just looking at his bench loaded with tools and pieces of leather, I knew he was a skilled craftsman(手艺人). “No.” I replied, “The other fellow can’t do it well.”
“The other fellow” was one of those shopkeepers who fix shoes and make keys — without knowing much about mending shoes or making keys. They work carelessly, and when they have finished sewing back a sandal strap(鞋带), you might as well just throw away the pair.
My man saw I wouldn't give in, and he smiled. He wiped hands on his blue apron(围裙), looked at my shoes, had me write my name on one shoe with a piece of chalk and said, “Come back in a week.”
I was about to leave when he took a pair of soft leather boots off a shelf.
“See what I can do?” he said with pride. “Only three of us in Paris can do this kind of work.”
When I got back out into the street, the world seemed brand-new to me. He was something out of an ancient legend, this old craftsman with his way of speaking familiarly, his very strange dusty felt hat, his funny accent and his pride in his craft.
These are times when nothing is important but the bottom line, when you can do things any old way as long as it “pays”, when, in short, people look on work as a path to ever-increasing consumption rather than a way to realize their abilities. In such a period it is a rare comfort to find a cobbler who gets his greatest satisfaction from pride in a job well done.Which of the following is true about the old cobbler?
| A．He was equipped with the best repairing tools. |
| B．He was the only cobbler in the Marais. |
| C．He was proud of his skills. |
| D．He was a native Parisian. |
The sentence “He was something out of an ancient legend” implies that ______.
| A．nowadays you can hardly find anyone like him |
| B．it was difficult to communicate with this man |
| C．the man was very strange |
| D．the man was too old |
According to the author, many people work just to ______.
| A．realize their abilities | B．gain happiness |
| C．make money | D．gain respect |
This story wants to tell us that ______.
| A．craftsmen make a lot of money | B．whatever you do, do it well |
| C．craftsmen need self-respect | D．people are born equal |
Do you love holidays but hate the increase weight that follows? You are not alone.
Holidays are happy days with pleasure and delicious foods. Many people, however, are worried about the weight that comes along with these delicious foods.
With proper planning, though, it is possible to control your weight. The idea is to enjoy the holidays but not to eat too much. You don't have to turn away from the foods that you enjoy. The following suggestions may be of some help to you.
Do not miss meals. Before yon leave home for a feast(宴会),have a small, low-fat snack(小吃). This may help to keep you from getting too excited before delicious foods. Begin with clear soup and fruit or vegetables. A large glass of water before you eat may help you feel full. Use a small plate; a large plate will encourage you to have more than enough.
Better not have high-fat foods. Dishes that look oily or creamy have much fat in them.
Choose lean meat(瘦肉 ).Fill your plate with salad and green vegetables.
If you have a sweet tooth, try mints (薄荷) and fruits. They don’t have fat content as cream and chocolate.
Don’t let exercise take a break during the holidays. A 20-minute walk after a meal can help burn off excess(过多的) calories.Holidays are happy days with pleasure but they may ______
| A．bring weight problems | B．bring you much trouble in your life |
| C．make you worried about your foods | D．make you hate delicious foods |
In order to really enjoy your holidays without putting on weight, you'd better__
| A．drink much water and have vegetables only | B．not eat the food in high fat |
| C．not accept invitations to feasts | D．turn away from delicious foods |
Many people can't help putting on weight after the holidays because they _______ .
| A．can't control themselves | B．go to too many feasts |
| C．enjoy delicious foods | D．can't help turning away from the foods |
Excess calories can be found in your body in the form of___ .
| A．energy | B．fat | C．food | D．something invisible (看不见) |