完形填空（共20题；每小题1.5分，满分30分）
My fiance (未婚夫) and I were excited about shopping for our first home. But our funds were , and none of the houses in our price range seemed satisfactory.
One agent a house in particular. Although her description sounded wonderful, the price was our range, so we declined. But she kept urging us to have a look .
We finally did and it was at first sight. It was Our Home, small and charming, overlooking a quiet lake. Walking through the rooms and talking with the owners, a nice elderly couple, we felt the warmth and of the marriage within that home. As perfect as it was, the price remained too high for us. But every day, we would sit by the lake, looking at the house and dreaming of it would be like to live there.
Days later, we made a(n) —far below the asking price. Surprisingly, they didn’t us. They renewed their offer . It was also much more than we could afford, but far than the original asking price.
The next day, we got a message that another buyer had offered a much higher price. Even so, we decided to talk with the directly. We made our final offer, which was thousands of dollars less than the other buyer’s bid. We knew it, we had to try.
“Sold!” said the owner. Then he : He’d seen us sitting by the lake all those times; he knew how much we loved the place and that we’d the years of work they had put into their home; he realized he would take a by selling it to us, but it was worthwhile; we were the people they wanted to live there. He told us to consider the in the price “an early wedding present.”
That’s how we found our home and how I learned that when people are they are not strangers, only friends we haven’t yet met.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Once in a blue moon there is one on New Year's Eve. Revelers ringing in 2010 will be treated to a so-called blue moon. According to popular definition, a blue moon is the second full moon in a month. But don't 1 it to be blue - the name has nothing to 2 the color of our closest celestial（天体） neighbor.
A full moon 3 on December 2. It will appear again on Thursday in time for the New Year's countdown.
"If you're in Times Square, you'll see the 4 moon right above you. It's going to be that brilliant," said Jack Horkheimer, director emeritus of the Miami Space Transit Planetarium and host of a weekly astronomy TV show.
The New Year's Eve blue moon will be 5 in the United States, Canada, Europe, South America and Africa. For partygoers in Australia and Asia, the full moon does not show up 6 New Year's Day, making January a blue moon month for them.
However, the Eastern Hemisphere can celebrate with a partial lunar eclipse（月蚀） on New Year's Eve when 7 of the moon enters the Earth's shadow. The 8 will not be visible in the Americas.
A full moon occurs 9 29.5 days, and most years have 12. 10 , an extra full moon in a month - a blue moon - occurs every 2.5 years. The11 time there was a lunar double take was in May 2007. New Year's Eve blue moons are rarer, occurring every 19 years. The last time was in 1990; the next one won't 12 again until 2028.
Blue moons have no astronomical13 , said Greg Laughlin, an astronomer at the University of California, Santa Cruz.
"`Blue moon' is just a14 in the same sense as a `hunter's moon' or a `harvest moon,'" Laughlin said in an e-mail.
The popular definition of blue moon15 after a writer for Sky & Telescope magazine in 1946 misunderstood the Maine Farmer's Calendar and marked a blue moon as the second full moon in a month. In fact, the calendar16 a blue moon as the third full moon in a season with four full moons, not the usual three.
Though Sky & Telescope corrected the17 decades later, the definition caught on. For purists（语言纯正癖者）, however, this New Year's Eve full moon doesn't even qualify as a18 moon. It's just the first full moon of the winter season.
In a tongue-in-cheek essay19 on the magazine's Web site this week, senior contributing editor Kelly Beatty wrote: "If skies are clear when I'm20 celebrating, I'll take a peek（眯着眼睛看） at that brilliant orb（天体） as it rises over the Boston skyline to see if it's an icy shade of blue. Or maybe I'll just howl."
( ) 1. A. wish B. wait C. hope D. expect
( ) 2. A. deal with B. do with C. develop with D. form into
( ) 3. A. occurred B. came C. ran D. went
( ) 4. A. full B. half C. bright D. part
( ) 5. A. out of sight B. visible C. big D. clear
( ) 6. A. until B. when C. before D. since
( ) 7. A. part B. all C. any D. none
( ) 8. A. moon B. eclipse C. sun D. shadow
( ) 9. A. each B. every C. either D. all
( ) 10. A. On the whole B. Generally speaking C. On average D. In addition
( ) 11. A. last B. next C. other D. another
( ) 12. A. go B. see C. come D. look
( ) 13. A. point B. evident C. theory D. significance
( ) 14. A. name B. object C. phenomenon D. tradition
( ) 15. A. created B. came about C. made D. copied
( ) 16. A. named B. called C. introduced D. defined
( ) 17. A. error B. name C. reality D. number
( ) 18. A. blue B. red C. yellow D. grey
( ) 19. A. published B. posted C. printed D. written
( ) 20. A. in B. out C. away D. on
Money, or the lack of it, changes everything, and that includes how people will be working out in 2010.
In these belt-tightening times 1 , cost-conscious workouts（锻炼）at home and at the gym topped the list of fitness trends for this year in a survey, followed 2 by shorter, more time-efficient regimens, such as 3 boot camp（强力集中训练） and circuit training.
"People are looking 4 for ways to accomplish as much as possible with as little 5 time and money as necessary," said Cedric X. Bryant, chief science officer of the American Council on Exercise (ACE), which conducted the online poll of fitness professionals.
"Last year money was on the list but this 6 year the majority of the respondents put 7 it as one of the top," he added.
Bryant said some 600 ACE-certified fitness 8 professionals responded to the annual poll 9 , which the non-profit organization has been conducting for a decade.
Other money-saving measures 10 , such as the shift from personal training sessions to small group training 11 classes and in-home workouts 12 using smaller, more portable equipment, also made the list.
"Personal trainers are seeing they've got to respond to market needs 13 . Working with two to four clients at a 14 time they can charge less 15 but still get their hourly fee," Bryant said.
Boot-camp workouts and circuit training, both of which burn 16 calories while building strength and endurance（持久性）, will be among the most popular trends in 2010, as time-constrained（受压制的） consumers 17 seek shorter, more intense activities.
One bright spot is the rise of exergaming-type systems, like Nintendo's Wii Sports, Wii Fit and the PC-based Dancetown. Bryant says the fitness-based video games are turning up 18 in health clubs and senior centers.
Functional training workouts, which are geared to improving the quality of life and the ability to perform everyday tasks, will remain strong 19 , and the use of computerized tracking and online training and scheduling tools will increase 20 in the coming year.
( ) 1. A. times B. years C. centuries D. societies
( ) 2. A. caught B. followed C. covered D. conducted
( ) 3. A. such like B. in other words C. such as D. that is to say
( ) 4. A. taking B. developing C. opening D. looking
( ) 5. A. little B. much C. many D. few
( ) 6. A. that B. next C. this D. previous
( ) 7. A. manage B. put C. try D. organize
( ) 8. A. medicine B. train C. economy D. fitness
( ) 9. A. poll B. conference C. observation D. reception
( ) 10. A. measures B. procedures C. policies D. systems
( ) 11. A. speaking B. training C. exercising D. processing
( ) 12. A. work B. workouts C. rest D. race
( ) 13. A. changes B. prices C. needs D. habits
( ) 14. A. some B. no C. any D. a
( ) 15. A. less B. fewer C. more D. much
( ) 16. A. produce B. burn C. cut D. add
( ) 17. A. professionals B. students C. consumers D. trainers
( ) 18. A. turning up B. turning down C. turning around D. turning out
( ) 19. A. weak B. useful C. strong D. possible
( ) 20. A. decrease B. appear C. increase D. want
Parents who smoke often open a window or turn on a fan to clear the air for their children, but experts now have identified a related threat to children's health that isn't as easy to get rid of: third-hand smoke。
That's the term being 1 to describe the invisible yet poisonous mixture of gases and particles(颗粒) clinging(依附) to smokers' hair and 2 , not to mention cushions and carpeting, that stays long after second-hand smoke has cleared from a room. The remaining 3 heavy metals, carcinogens(致癌物) and even radioactive materials that young children can get on their hands and take in, 4 if they're crawling or playing on the floor。
Doctors from MassGeneral Hospital for Children in Boston coined the term "third-hand smoke" to 5 these chemicals in a new study that 6 on the risks they pose to infants and children. The study was published in the 7 issue of the journal Pediatrics。
"Everyone knows that second-hand smoke is bad, 8 they don't know about this," said Dr. Jonathan P. Winickoff, the lead author of the study and an assistant professor of pediatrics at Harvard Medical School。
"When their kids are 9 the house, they might smoke. Or they smoke in the car. Or they strap(用带子捆扎) the kid in the car seat in the back and crack the window and 10 , and they think it's okay because the second-hand smoke isn't getting to their 11 . We needed a term to describe these tobacco toxins that aren't12 ."
The study reported on 13 toward smoking in 1,500 households across the United States. It found that the vast majority of both smokers and nonsmokers were 14 that second-hand smoke is harmful to children. Some 95 percent of nonsmokers and 84 percent of smokers 15 with the statement that "inhaling smoke from a parent's cigarette can 16 the health of infants and children"。
But 17 fewer of those surveyed were aware of the 18 of third-hand smoke. Since the term is so new, the researchers asked people if they agreed with the statement that "breathing air in a room 19 where people smoked yesterday can harm the health of infants and children"。
Only 65 percent of nonsmokers and 43 percent of smokers agreed with that 20 , which researchers interpreted as acknowledgement of the risks of third-hand smoke。
( ) 1. A. told B. discussed C. used D. mentioned
( ) 2. A. shoes B. clothing C. body D. mouth
( ) 3. A. includes B. covers C. finds D. improves
( ) 4. A. especially B. specially C. immediately D. regularly
( ) 5. A. name B. call C. explain D. describe
( ) 6. A. focused B. tended C. tried D. worked
( ) 7. A. later B. latest C. best D. previous
( ) 8. A. but B. and C. however D. or
( ) 9. A. alongside B. out of C. in D. beside
( ) 10. A. cough B. talk C. observe D. smoke
( ) 11. A. cars B. seats C. kids D. windows
( ) 12. A. visible B. invisible C. poisonous D. concrete
( ) 13. A. policies B. attitudes C. bans D. habits
( ) 14. A. told B. content C. confident D. aware
( ) 15. A. opposed B. agreed C. fought D. connected
( ) 16. A. harm B. destroy C. improve D. confuse
( ) 17. A. quite B. very C. far D. too
( ) 18. A. chances B. risks C. abilities D. conditions
( ) 19. A. tomorrow B. today C. yesterday D. weekend
( ) 20. A. statement B. mark C. discussion D. Prejudice
Unhappy people glue（使粘牢） themselves to the television 30 percent more than happy people.
The finding, announced on Thursday, 1 from a survey of nearly 30,000 American adults conducted between 1975 and 2006 as part of the General Social Survey.
2 happy people reported watching an 3 of 19 hours of television per week, unhappy people reported 25 hours a week. The results held even after 4 into account education, income, age and marital status.
In addition, happy individuals were more socially 5 , attended more religious services, voted more and6 a newspaper more often than their less-chipper（没有精神的） counterparts.
The researchers are not sure, though, whether unhappiness7 more television-watching or more viewing leads to unhappiness.
In fact, people say they like watching television: Past research has shown that when people watch television they8 it. In these studies, participants reported that on a9 from 0 (dislike) to 10 (greatly enjoy), TV-watching was nearly an 8.
But perhaps the high from watching television doesn't10 .
"These conflicting data11 that TV may provide viewers with short-run12 , but at the expense of long-term malaise(精神欠爽)," said researcher John Robinson, a sociologist at the University of Maryland, College Park.
In this case, even the happiest campers could turn into Debbie-downers if they continue to13 at the TV. The researchers suggest that over time, television-viewing14 push out other activities that do have more lasting15 . Exercise and sex come to mind, as do parties and other forms of socialization known to have psychological benefits.
Or, maybe television is simply a refuge(慰藉物) for people who are already16 .
"TV is not judgmental 17 difficult, so people with18 social skills or resources for other activities can engage in it," Robinson and UM colleague Steven Martin write in the December issue of the journal Social Indicators Research.
They add, "19 , chronic unhappiness can be socially and personally debilitating（使人衰弱的） and can interfere with work and most social and personal activities, but even the unhappiest people can click a remote and be passively20 by a TV."
The researchers say follow-up studies are needed to tease out the relationship between television and happiness.
( ) 1. A. comes B. arrives C. differs D. results
( ) 2. A. When B. As C. While D. Therefore
( ) 3. A. average B. amount C. number D. effort
( ) 4. A. speaking B. talking C. taking D. getting
( ) 5. A. active B. positive C. crazy D. cozy
( ) 6. A. look B. read C. see D. take
( ) 7. A. builds up B. cuts down C. leads to D. tends to
( ) 8. A. hate B. enjoy C. adopt D. adapt
( ) 9. A. fashion B. group C. scale D. rate
( ) 10. A. last B. decrease C. widen D. disappear
( ) 11. A. report B. suggest C. improve D. admit
( ) 12. A. excitement B. pleasure C. suffering D. sadness
( ) 13. A. glare B. look C. stare D. fix
( ) 14. A. should B. must C. could D. need
( ) 15. A. comforts B. laughter C. pressures D. benefits
( ) 16. A. tired B. lonely C. bored D. unhappy
( ) 17. A. and B. neither C. nor D. but
( ) 18. A. few B. little C. many D. quantity
( ) 19. A. Therefore B. Furthermore C. However D. Yet
( ) 20. A. controlled B. transformed C. persuaded D. entertained
It seems parents have long been right. Going to bed early is key to getting enough sleep and helping adolescents feel on top of the world, a new study reported.
A 1 of sleep among youngsters may 2 depression and suicidal (自杀的)thoughts, according to the study by the Columbia University Medical Center.
"Our results are 3 with the theory that inadequate sleep is a risk factor for depression, working with other 4 and protective factors through multiple possible causal pathways to the development of this 5 disorder," said lead author James Gangwisch.
" 6 quality sleep could therefore be a preventative measure against 7 and a treatment for depression," he added in the study 8 in the Friday issue of Sleep magazine.
The study followed the nightly habits of some 15,659 college and high-school students, and 9 those who consistently went to bed 10 midnight had a 24 percent higher risk of depression than those who turned in before 10:00 pm.
Night owls（夜猫子）also ran a 20 percent 11 risk of battling suicidal thoughts, the study added.
The American Academy of Sleep Medicine 12 that adolescents should sleep at least nine hours or more a night. Those who were tucked in before 10:00 pm reported they slept13 about eight hours and 10 minutes.
But that amount of sleep 14 significantly for those in bed after midnight.
And adolescents who slept five hours or less a night were 71 percent more 15 to suffer depression and 48 percent more16 becoming suicidal, the study said.
"It is a common perception and societal 17 that adolescents do not need as much sleep as pre-adolescents, yet studies suggest that adolescents may 18 require more sleep," said Gangwisch.
"Studies have found that adolescents do not go to bed 19 enough to make up for earlier school start times, and transitions to earlier school start times have been shown to be 20 with significant sleep deprivation（剥夺）. "
( ) 1. A. night B. moderation C. limit D. lack
( ) 2. A. result in B. lie in C. come about D. bring in
( ) 3. A. opposed B. mixed C. related D. consistent
( ) 4. A. risk B. chance C. potential D. reason
( ) 5. A. mood B. body C. feeling D. mind
( ) 6. A. little B. lack C. Adequate D. over
( ) 7. A. suffering B. depression C. disorder D. sadness
( ) 8. A. reported B. published C. reflected D. noted
( ) 9. A. found B. investigated C. appraised D. supported
( ) 10. A. before B. from C. by D. after
( ) 11. A. lower B. higher C. more D. less
( ) 12. A. appeals B. recommends C. calls D. plans
( ) 13. A. on average B. in place C. ahead of D. in number
( ) 14. A. increased B. disappeared C. strengthened D. dropped
( ) 15. A. likely B. probable C. possible D. perhaps
( ) 16. A. at sight of B. at risk of C. in front of D. as a result of
( ) 17. A. wish B. expectation C. suggestion D. attempt
( ) 18. A. exactly B. immediately C. directly D. actually
( ) 19. A. early B. lately C. soon D. quickly
( ) 20. A. separated B. associated C. divided D. depended