In Canada and the United States, people enjoy entertaining (请客) at home. They often invite friends over for a meal, a party, or just for coffee and conversation.
Here are the kinds of things people say when they invite someone to their home:
“ Would you like to come over for dinner on Saturday night? ”
“Hey, we're having a party on Friday. Can you come ? ”
To reply to an invitation, either say thank you and accept(接受), or say you're sorry and give an excuse(借口):
“Thanks, I'd love to. What time would you like me to come?” or “ Oh, sorry. I've tickets for a movie.” Sometimes, however, people use expressions(措辞)that sound like invitations, but which are not real invitations(邀请). For example:
“ Please come over for a drink sometime? ”
“ Why not get together for a party sometime? ”
“Why don't you come over and see us sometime soon?”
They are really just polite ways of ending a conversation. They are not real invitations because they don't tell time or date. They just show that the person is trying to be friendly. To reply to expressions like these, people just say: “Sure, that would be nice!” or “OK. Yes, thanks.” So next time when you hear what sounds like an invitation. Is it a real invitation or is the person just being friendly?Which of the following is a real invitation?
| A．"If you're free, let's go for a drink sometime." |
| B．"Please go to the cinema with me some day." |
| C．"Would you like to have a cup of tea with us sometime?" |
| D．"I've two tickets here. Can you go to the concert with me?" |
If people say "Let's get together for lunch some day", you just say“_______".
| A．That's great. I'll be there on time. |
| B．That would be nice |
| C．Oh, sorry. I'm very busy. |
| D．How about this weekend?. |
People use "not real invitation" to show that_______.
| A．they're trying to be friendly |
| B．they're trying to be helpful |
| C．they're trying to make friends with others |
| D．they haven't got ready for a party yet |
The air plant has wonderful and amazing features. It takes in moisture(水汽)from the air through its leaves．Although it is seen growing on another object or plant to support itself.
To prevent the roots from being too wet，avoid(避免) planting it in soil. Keep the roots in a well—ventilated(通风良好的)environment. Air plants can grow well hanging from fishing lines. They can also be hung from seashells, teacups or even on wood.
Water the air plant once in a while. Simply let the water fall from the roots. The roots will take in the water for the air plant. The air plant can live between 0℃° and 51 ℃. It does not need to be in the light all the time. However, sunlight(morning and evening only)helps it to reproduce(繁殖)faster. When it flowers，it turns a colorful pink, red or orange．At most 8 young plants can grow from the air plant．When these grow to half the size of the parent plant, simply pull them away gently from the parent plant and plant them in another place．
The lifespan of an air plant depends on the care it gets and the environment it is placed in. Generally, all air plant can live for many years.
Because they are so beautiful and easy to take care of, air plants are excellent as birthday gifts or housewarming gifts.The air plant takes in moisture from ______.
| A．other plants | B．the air |
| C．the roots | D．other objects |
An air plant must NOT be placed in _______.
| A．soil | B．seashells | C．teacups | D．wood |
Morning sunlight can help the air plant _________.
| A．become drier |
| B．produce young plants faster |
| C．turn into different colors |
| D．become half the size of the parent plant |
The underlined word “depend on” most probably means _______.
| A．支持 | B．继续 | C．取决于 | D．应付 |
The air plant is easy to take care of because it ______.
| A．is a famous plant |
| B．needs little water and sunlight |
| C．grows on other plants and objects |
| D．makes the garden beautiful |
We may know that there are four basic periods(时期) for human beings to pass through when you enter and live in another country. This process helps you deal with culture shock（冲击）.
Culture shock begins with the "honeymoon period". This is the time when you first arrive in a place where everything about the new cu1ture is strange and exciting. You see new things, hear new sounds and language, eat new kinds of food. This period can last for quite a long time because you feel very happy.
Unluckily, the second period can be more difficu1t. After you have got used to your new life, you can become very tired and begin to miss your motherland, your family, your friends, your pets and so on. Al1 the little prob1ems in life seem to be much bigger and more worrying when you face them in a foreign country. This period can be very difficult and lead to moving backwards quickly.
The third period is called the "adjustment period". This is when you begin to realize that things are not so bad in the new country. Your sense of humor usually becomes stronger and you realize you are becoming stronger by 1earning to take care of yourself in the new place. Things are still difficult, but you are now a survivor.
The fourth period can be cal1ed "at ease at last". Now you feel quite comfortable in your new place. You can deal with most problems that you have. You may still have prob1ems with language, but you know you are strong enough to deal with them. At this time, you may feel a little uncomfortable if you go back to your motherland.According to the passage, culture shock usually happens when you ______.
| A．get married to a foreigner |
| B．live in a big city |
| C．go to live in a foreign country |
| D．meet foreigners in your motherland |
During the first period of the process, you feel _________.
| A．sad and lonely | B．happy and excited |
| C．angry but strong | D．easy but uncomfortable |
You will find that you are a survivor in _______.
| A．the 1st period | B．the 2nd period |
| C．the 3rd period | D．the 4th period |
The fourth period can be regarded as a period of being _____.
| A．relaxing | B．worrying |
| C．tiring | D．disturbing |
From the passage we can conclude that ______.
| A．living in another country is fun |
| B．it’s boring to live in another country |
| C．knowing about culture shock is hard |
| D．it’s not easy to deal with culture shock |
| The Exploration of Antarctica(南极洲) |
|
| 1773 |
James Cook crossed the Antarctic Circle, but he didn’t see land. |
| 1898 |
Adrien de Gerlache and his members were trapped in the Antarctic. They became the first to spend an Antarctic winter. |
| 1911 |
Norwegian Roald Amundsen led a five-man expedition that reached the South Pole for the first time. |
| 1929 |
Richard E.Byrd and three others from the US became the first to fly over the South Pole |
| 1935 |
Caroline Mikkelsen from Norway became the first woman to arrive in Antarctica with her husband. |
| 1947 |
The US sent the largest ever expedition of over 4,700 men, 13 ships and 23 airplanes to Antarctica. They took many photos to make a map. |
| 1957－1958 |
12 countries built over 60 space stations in Antarctica. It became the beginning of international work in Antarctica. |
| 1997 |
Boerge Ousland from Norway became the first person to cross Antarctica unsupported. |
| March 2007－ March 2009 |
International Polar Year-Researchers got the opportunity to work in both polar places or work in summer and winter. |
_______ is from the United States of America.
| A．Boerge Ousland | B．Richard E. Byrd |
| C．Roald Amundsen | D．James Cook |
The underlined word “opportunity” means “______”.
| A．chance | B．advice | C．guide | D．plan |
______ is the first woman to get to Antarctica.
| A．Roald Amundsen | B．Boerge Ousland |
| C．Caroline Mikkelsen | D．Adrien de Gerlache |
Which is WRONG according to the passage?
| A．There were more than 60 space stations in Antarctica in the 1950s |
| B．Roald Amundsen was the first to fly over the South Pole. |
| C．Americans took many photos in the Antarctic to make a map. |
| D．Adrien de Gerlache was the first to spend an Antarctic winter. |
The main idea of the passage is _____.
| A．how to get to the Antarctic |
| B．the way of the exploration of Antarctica |
| C．the people who got to the Antarctic |
| D．the history of the exploration of Antarctica |
Camilla Chomp was a strange little girl. She liked to spend her time alone eating chocolate. Her parents were worried, so they took all the chocolate away.
Camilla left her house to look for some chocolate. She found a small house full of bottles. Among the bottles, a blue bottle caught Camilla’s eyes. It was full of chocolate. In the bottle there was also a card with the words “Change tears(眼泪) into chocolate.”
Camilla was very excited. She ran out of the house with the bottle to look for someone crying. First, she met a little boy crying hard and collected his tears. The tears were quickly changed into chocolate. While Camilla was collecting the tears, she comforted the boy. Finally, the boy stopped crying and they had a good time together.
Later, Camilla met a woman and an old man crying. The woman had broken some bowls. And the old man’s dog had just died. Camilla collected their tears and made them happy again.
Soon, Camilla knew that making people happy was much more important than finding chocolate. So she stopped collecting tears and began to help sad people. As a result, she had many friends and had a happy life. Camilla liked to __________.
| A．eat chocolate | B．read books |
| C．collect coins | D．eat fruit |
Camilla’s parents took away all the chocolate because they were ___________.
| A．happy | B．angry |
| C．worried | D．hungry |
What caught Camilla’s eyes?
| A．A nice card. | B．A black dog. |
| C．A red cup. | D．A blue bottle. |
The old man was crying because ___________.
| A．he had broken some bottles |
| B．He couldn’t find his way home. |
| C．he couldn’t find his daughter |
| D．his dog had just died |
How many people did Camilla help before she stopped collecting tears?
| A．One. | B．Two. | C．Three. | D．Four. |
Have you ever had dreams about building a robot? Or putting together a spaceship? Or even seeing your face made out of chocolate? Done. All you need is a 3-D printer!
The possibilities of 3-D printing seem endless. All the user has to do is to design(设计) an object on the computer and choose a material(材料) to print in. The printers print in hundreds of different materials including glass, sugar and even skin! When the user presses “print”, the 3-D printer spreads the material layer(层) by layer and like magic the object is produced.
The first 3-D printer was invented in 1986 by an American, Charles Hull. But 3-D printing has only become cheap enough recently for most people to use. Designers now use 3-D printing to create unusual things. The Dutch artist Dirk Vander Kooj prints furniture made from old fridges. And doctors have used 3-D printing to print human body parts! The Telegraph reported in February that scientists from Cornell Medical College even printed a man-made ear.
But like a lot of new technologies, if 3-D printing gets into the wrong hands, it can be dangerous. In 2011 a group of four men in the US used 3-D printing to produce ATM skimmers (提款机盗刷器). These were placed on an ATM and stole over $400,000 from users of the ATM. It is terrible to think that criminals like them might one day use a 3-D printer to print a gun.
But for better or for worse, 3-D printing has been put into use. In a few years, you’ll probably be wondering how you could ever live without your 3-D printer!
_______ invented the first 3-D printer.
| A．Charles Hull | B．Dirk Vander Kooj |
| C．A doctor called Cornell | D．Four men in the U.S |
What is the correct order for people to use a 3-D printer?
a. Choose a proper material.
b. Press the print button.
c. The 3-D printer spreads the material.
d. Use a computer to design an object.
| A．a-b-c-d | B．d-a-b-c |
| C．a-c-d-b | D．d-c-b-a |
The underlined word “criminals” in the fourth paragraph might mean ______________ in Chinese.
| A．技术员 | B．军人 | C．罪犯 | D．用户 |
According to the passage, people have NOT yet produced _________ with a 3-D printer.
| A．some furniture | B．a man-made ear |
| C．ATM skimmers | D．a gun |
What does the writer think of the 3-D printer?
| A．It is necessary only for our work. |
| B．It is helpful but dangerous. |
| C．It is too expensive for most people. |
| D．It is useless in our daily life. |