Every year on April 1, April Fools’ Day is celebrated in many countries around the world. In France, it’s called Poisson d’Avril or “Fish of April.” In Scotland, the holiday is often called “Gowkie Day.” In Iraq, the holiday is called Kithbet Neesan or “April Lie.”
History experts say people have celebrated April Fools’ Day for a long time. Some believe the tradition comes from the ancient Romans more than two thousand years ago. It was a day of playing games and pretending to be someone else.
Others say the day for fooling began in France in 1564, when King Charles changed the yearly calendar（日历）. He moved New Year’s Day from April 1 to January 1. Many people did not know about the change because of communication problems back then. Some people continued to celebrate New Year’s Day on April 1. Other people called them April Fools and played jokes on them.
In the United States, April Fools’ Day is just a day of joking and playing tricks on friends. These kinds of jokes are also called pranks. These jokes typically end in the prankster shouting “April Fools’!”
Simple pranks, like telling a friend a funny lie or making prank phone calls, are still common. But, major companies also get in on April Fools’ Day fun in a much bigger way. A few years ago, on April 1, Starbucks announced it was introducing new coffee cup sizes -- Plenta and Micra. The very large cups, bigger than a human head, remained useful for customers even after finishing all that coffee. According to Starbucks, the cups could be used as a rain hat, a pot for plants, or a lampshade（灯罩）.
It did not take long for customers to catch on to the prank!
More and more, people use social media or smart phone apps（应用程序）to play pranks on their friends on April Fools’ Day. One very annoying smart phone app, Cat Facts, sends funny facts about cats to your friends’ phones, every day.What is not true about “April Fools’ Day”?
| A． It has been celebrated for a long time. |
| B． Its tradition comes from the ancient Romans. |
| C． French people celebrated it because of not knowing that King Charles changed the yearly calendar. |
| D． Different countries have different names for it. |
In the United States, April Fools’ Day is .
| A． a day of joking and playing tricks on friends. |
| B． a day when you can play jokes on any people. |
| C． a day when people can’t shout “April Fools’!” |
| D． a day when Starbucks introduced new coffee. |
What’s the meaning of the underlined word “pranks”(para4)?
| A． friends | B． methods |
| C． jokes | D． jokers |
The month of May is not only a graduation month in the US, but also a month when some families hold reunions．Have you ever considered why it is important that families get together in one place for a particular time? I believe the reason is honor．
Family reunions are a time we can take out of our busy schedules and spend quality time with our extended families（大家庭）．It is a time when we can make our sisters, brothers, aunts, uncles, grandparents, and others we love a priority （首要事情）in our life．
Some reunions take place over a picnic lunch and some last a whole weekend．They can be costly and are sometimes crazy．But the truth is, when people you love grow up and move away, getting together for a family reunion and holding that family bond together is so important．
Family reunions build a renewed closeness as we mix with our relatives．We sit and talk about old times and listen to the stories that our older and wiser relatives love to share．As the children run and play and get to know each other, we sit and revisit our childhood memories and enjoy the short time we have together．
The best part of a family reunion is the time spent simply being around the people you care about A reunion shows how important it is to take time for each other．When you receive a family reunion invitation, make it a priority in your life．It's a great chance to see your relatives once again, give them a big hug and enjoy the time you have with them．Life is too short not to!What would be the best title for the passage?
| A．How to attend a family reunion? | B．What is a family reunion? |
| C．Tips for a family reunion． | D．Make time to attend a family reunion． |
"Family reunions" in the passage means that you____．
| A．talk with your wife or husband | B．get together with your relatives |
| C．communicate with your children | D．have a dinner with your parents |
Family reunions can help you____．
| A．solve your problems | B．kill time when you are bored |
| C．improve the relation with your relatives | D．find more relatives who live far away |
What does the underlined sentence "Life is too short not to" in the last paragraph mean?
| A．Family reunions are very important． |
| B．Family reunions are common． |
| C．Our life is very short． |
| D．Attending family reunions is uneasy． |
Teenagers who do not get enough of the nutrients commonly found in fruits and fish are easier to have bad lungs, coughing and wheezing （喘息）．Teens who eat the least of fruit and especially vitamin C have weaker lungs compared to the others．
Teens who take in less vitamin E, found in vegetable oil and nuts, are more likely to have asthma（哮喘）, Jane Bums at the Harvard School of Public Health found.
Based on these findings．Bums said that current recommended dose（一剂）of vitamin C, 85 mg a day, may not be enough for teens to have healthy lungs．Teens who eat less fruit and don't take in enough fatty acids （脂肪酸） are more likely to have asthma and the signs of breathing difficulty．
Proper amounts of fatty acids are protective, Bums said, though fish, the best source of fatty acids, is particularly unpopular with teenagers．Fatty acids are also found in some nuts as well as some green vegetables'．Smokers who avoid vitamin C will increase their chances of coughing, wheezing and developing phlegm（痰）．
More than 80 percent of teens are getting their recommended doses of vitamin C - mainly from fruit drinks．"I wouldn't approve of drinking them, but at least they're getting their vitamin C from somewhere," Burns said．
Burns added that there are several different ways to get the necessary nutrients．"I think vitamin supplements are fine．I think adding vitamin D to orange juice is fine．But I do think there are added benefits that we don't fully understand of eating whole foods like fruits and vegetables and fish," she said．The researchers did not account for poverty and other factors that often distinguish less-healthy eaters and may explain their findings．According to the passage, what is the problem with teens who don't get enough nutrients?
| A．They are becoming smokers． | B．They don't take enough exercise． |
| C．They eat too much fruit and fish． | D．They are likely to have weaker lungs． |
According to Burns, how should teens get the necessary nutrients?
| A．By drinking juice as much as possible． |
| B．By eating more whole foods． |
| C．By taking vitamin pills． |
| D．By giving up smoking． |
Which of the following is NOT mentioned by the researchers in the passage?
| A．The amount of nutrients teens should take in a day． |
| B．How teens can take in enough nutrients． |
| C．Whether poor teens can prove their findings． |
| D．The fact that teens don't like fish． |
What is the best title for the passage?
| A．Poor nutrition hurts teens' health． | B．Teens lack proper nutrition． |
| C．Teens are easy to suffer from diseases． | D．More fruit help keep teens healthy． |
"Hey, Dad," one of my kids asked the other day, "what was your favourite fast food when you were growing up?"
"We didn't have fast food when I was growing up," I informed him．"All the food was slow．" "Where did you eat?" "It was a place called 'at home'．" I explained．"Grandma cooked every day and when Grandpa got home from work, we sat down together at the dining table, and if I didn't like what she put on my plate I was allowed to sit there until I liked it．"
Some parents never owned their own houses, set foot on a golf course, travelled out of the country or had a credit card．
My parents have never driven me to soccer practice．This was mostly because we never had heard of soccer．I had a bicycle that weighed probably 50 pounds, and only had one speed．We didn't have a television in our house until I was 11．I was 13 when I tasted my first pizza; it was called "pizza pie"．When I bit into it, I burned the roof of my mouth and the cheese slid off, swung down, plastered（粘贴）itself against my chin and burned that, too．It's still the best pizza I ever had．
I delivered newspapers, six days a week ．The paper cost 7 cents, of which I got to keep 2 cents．I had to get up at 4:00 a．m．every morning．On Saturday, I had to collect the 42 cents from my customers．My favourite customers were the ones who gave me 50 cents and told me to keep the change．
If you grew up in a generation before there was fast food, you may want to share some of these memories with your children or grandchildren．
Growing up isn't what it used to be, is it?By saying "All the food was slow", the writer implies that ____．
| A．when he was growing up, he never ate fast food |
| B．he didn't like fast food when he was growing up |
| C．his grandma made food slowly |
| D．he had to wait for a long time for the fast food |
When the writer didn't like the food his grandma cooked when he was growing up, _______．
| A．his grandma would make something he liked |
| B．his grandma would buy him fast food |
| C．he would sit there waiting for his favourite pizza pie |
| D．he had to eat it or go without |
The writer's purpose of writing this passage is to _____.
| A．tell his children there was no fast food in the past |
| B．tell us that life has been changing |
| C．tell us how hard it is to deliver newspapers |
| D．made us understand the meaning of life |
There is a wide and deep choice of a career. Whether he’s a hand in construction or sitting behind the desk working on a computer, everyone has some ideas of what is an attractive career. However, making a career choice is not simply a matter of following a dream; for most people it means a lot of research and soul searching. Choosing the right career becomes one of the most important decisions of an individual’s life.
It used to be that one followed in the footsteps of their father or grandfather or took over the family’s business when it came to making a career choice. These days, a career path can start anywhere and then veer off into something totally different.
Career choices must be realistic and well thought out. It is not uncommon for persons to start a career path and realize they have made a terrible mistake, feeling as if it may be too late to turn around. Not only does a career choice concern your strongest skills and interest, it is also something that you will be doing continuously to bring in income. This is why a career choice can be such a personal decision. Formerly it used to be unusual for someone to change occupations or careers more than once or twice in a lifetime; it is now even more unusual to keep the same career during someone’s working life.
There are a great many measures in helping one choose the right profession. A number of websites offering tools such as career tests and information, educational resources, resume services and the kind can be found. It is important for one to research one’s career in this changing economy situation, and choose the best from several related career choices.According to the author choosing the right career _________.
| A．is not difficult at all | B．needs a lot of dreams |
| C．is an interesting thing | D．needs a lot of thoughts |
The underlined phrase “veer off” in the second paragraph probably means _________.
| A．set out to do the same job | B．change the former course |
| C．compare two different things | D．dream of getting an easy job |
Nowadays it is common for one to _________.
| A．change his job often | B．do the same job all his life |
| C．find a few good jobs at a time | D．live without a job for many years |
All of the following are the tools on profession offered by websites EXCEPT _________.
| A．tests and information | B．training courses |
| C．employer’s phone numbers | D．instructions on resume |
As the new term starts, freshmen around the world are asking the same question: how can I make the best of four years at college? The New York Times received suggestions recently from PhD students and seniors at some of the top universities . Here is their advice.
“Many young people today are raised in a protective cocoon(茧)”, wrote Tim Novikoff, a PhD student at Comell. “College is a time to explore the world beyond and a chance to learn new things about yourself. Take classes in different subjects. Try lots of different clubs and activities.”
Remember also to take some time away from campus, suggested Willie Lin, a student at Washington University. “If you spend all of your time in school, then it becomes too easy to let criticism from an unkind professor or a conflict with a roommate take up large proportions.”
Try to find work assisting a researcher or a professor---this is the advice from Aman Singh Gill, a PhD student at Stony Brook University. And he also said, “With a window into the world of research, you will find yourself thinking more critically, accepting fewer states at face value and perhaps developing a brave sense of what you can accomplish.”
Many young people can’t imagine even a single day without devices such as computers and cell phones. But try to keep yourself off them, cautioned Christine Smallwood, a PhD student at Columbia University.
Start by scheduling a few Internet-free hours each day, with your phone turned off. It’s the only way you’ll be able to read anything serious. “This will also have the benefit of making you harder to reach, and thus more mysterious and fascinating to new friends and acquaintances(熟人),” she suggested.The underlined sentence in Paragraph 3 means we should _________.
| A．spend more time at school | B．take some time out of school |
| C．listen to criticism more | D．not argue with roommates |
Who thinks it is important to consider something critically?
| A．Aman Singh Gill | B．Christine Smallwood |
| C．Tim Novikoff | D．Willlie Lin |
As for modern information devices, the last two paragraphs mean to tell us ________.
| A．to keep ourselves off them forever not to use them |
| B．to turn them off |
| C．to make a schedule to use them |
| D．not to use them |
This passage is mainly about _________.
| A．tips from some students for college life |
| B．ways to read something serious regularly |
| C．days without cell-phones and computers |
| D．chances to go to university you really like |