A shopkeeper sent his son to learn about the secret of happiness from the wisest man in the world. The boy walked a long way, and finally came upon the beautiful castle where the wise man lived.
On entering the main room of the castle, the boy was quite surprised: tradesmen coming and going, people chatting in the corners, and a small orchestra playing soft music. The wise man talked with everyone, and the boy had to wait for two hours before it was his turn.
The wise man listened carefully to the boy’s explanation of why he had come, but told him that he didn’t have time just then to explain the secret of happiness. He suggested that the boy look around the palace and return in two hours.
“Meanwhile, I want to ask you to do something,” said the wise man, handing the boy a teaspoon that held two drops of oil. “As you wander around, carry this spoon with you without allowing the oil to spill.”
The boy began to walk up and down stairs of the palace, keeping his eyes fixed on the spoon. After two hours, he returned to the wise man.
“Well,” asked the wise man, “Did you see the Persian tapestries（挂毯）in the hall? Did you see the garden that took the master gardener ten years to create?” The boy was embarrassed, and replied that he had observed nothing. His only concern had been not to spill the oil.
“Then go back and observe the wonders
of my world,” said the wise man. The boy picked up the spoon and returned to his exploration of the palace. This time he observed all of the works of art on the ceilings and the walls. When he returned, he described in detail everything he had seen.
“But where are the drops of oil?” asked the wise man. Looking down at the spoon he held, the boy saw that the oil was gone.
“Well, there is only one piece of advice I can give you,” said the wise man. “The secret of happiness is to see all the wonders of the world, and never to forget the drops of oil on the spoon.”
When the boy arrived at the castle, he .
| A．received a warm welcome from the wise man |
| B．had already missed his chance to talk to the wise man |
| C．didn’t expect to see so many people around |
| D．was shown around the palace by the local people |
The wise man gave the boy two tasks in order to .
| A．teach him the secret of happiness |
| B．show him how to observe the wonders in the world |
| C．make him learn from his mistakes |
| D．let the boy enjoy his palace and garden |
We can infer from the article that “the drops of oil on the spoon” probably refer to ______
| A．the beauty of nature |
| B．the fortune a person owns |
| C．the responsibilities of a person |
| D．the great opportunities in life |
Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the article?
| A．The wise man was satisfied with the way the boy performed the second task |
| B．It took the wise man about 10 years to finish his garden. |
| C．The wise man wasn’t paying much attention to the boy at first. |
| D．The boy took no notice of the surroundings during his first task. |
Our English course for kids or children focuses on learning English in an enjoyable way. Classes are small and individual attention is very important.
During the rest of the day students are encouraged to make use of the opportunities to speak and improve their English with the presence of monitors and teachers who will always use English with them.
There are three classes in the morning from Monday to Friday. The focus is primarily on spoken English; students will learn functional English to help them in real social situations. Special attention will be given to useful vocabulary for the afternoon’s activities or trip. The course will finish with a group presentation.
Maximum number of students in class is 8. This allows for greater participation and a greater degree of individual attention. Please note that this is a guaranteed maximum.
Each class is with a different teacher. This means that students practice English with the
added benefit of listening to more accents and experience a variety of teaching styles.
Classes are arranged by level. On arrival students take a level test to assess their oral, reading and written abilities. Students are then placed in a class where teachers agree they will benefit most.
We live and study on campus. There is no time wasted in traveling to class. There are short breaks between classes to allow students to refresh, prepare for the next class or make a start on homework. Homework is beneficial to reinforcing language learned during the day so teachers will set some short tasks each night. Students will have opportunity to do these when they choose--after class, before or after meals or at the end of the day.
Teachers are native-English speakers from all over the world, graduates, TESOL qualified, and experienced. Our teachers know what ifs like to learn a language. They will encourage and help all the students一from children to teenagers.
In the morning lessons, students will_____.
| A．make sure of the opportunity to make a personal presentation |
| B．learn spoken English for the afternoon activities |
| C．practise speaking English with teachers individually |
| D．get into real social situations to practise functional English |
According to the passage, each class is with a different teacher in that_____.
| A．students themselves have their own favourite teachers |
| B．students can make friends with different teachers |
| C．students can learn English spoken with different accents |
| D．different teachers teach students different courses |
What information can you get from the passage?
| A．There is no need for students to do any homework there. |
| B．All the teachers are native and full of experience. |
| C．Students don’t have lunch together with their teachers. |
| D．Not more than eight students are allowed to learn in a class. |
Lettuce (莴苣)has been eaten for over 4,500 years, and was known to the Egyptians, Greeks and Romans. Now, people in some countries start the meal with lettuce as part of a salad. There are hundreds of kinds of lettuce. The main ones include head lettuce, such as iceberg, leaf lettuce ,Boston, bibb and romaine.
Experts say lettuce is one of the easiest crops to grow in your garden. The best time to plant the seeds is during cool weather. The University of Illinois Extension advises that the best planting temperature is 15 0C.
Lettuce seeds are small, so do not place them too deep in the ground. If you plant some seeds every week or two, you will have crops ready to eat one after another.
To start the seeds inside, you can use a seed tray in your home or other shelter. This container should be deep enough to hold at least three centimeters of soil or more. There should be about one centimeter of space between the soil and the top of the container. The container should have holes in the bottom so the extra water can flow out. Drop the seeds over the surface and cover them lightly with soil. If the soil is not already a little wet, give it some water. But do not drown the seeds.
Next, cover the seed tray with paper. When the seedlings have come up far enough to touch the paper, take it off. You can transplant the seedlings into the garden when they are about two to three centimeters tall. Do this when the weather is not too hot and not too cold. Take out as much soil as you can with the seedlings, Then dig a hole in the ground bigger thanthe lettuce roots. Water the plants but not too heavily.
Harvest leaf lettuces when the leaves are big enough to eat. Pull the leaves from the outside of the planting so the inside leaves will keep growing. Or, you can cut off the whole plant. Leave about two or three centimeters above the ground so the plant will re-grow. Cut off head lettuces at ground level.
Lettuce is best when served fresh, so make a salad and enjoy. Experts say lettuce is one of the easiest crops to grow in your garden.Which of the following shows the right order of planting lettuces?
a.Dig a hole in the ground bigger than the lettuce roots.
b.Drop the seeds over the surface.
c.Water the plants.
d.Cover the seed with soil.
e.Take off the paper.
f.Transplant the seedlings into the garden.
| A．b, d, e ，f, a, c | B．a, b ，c, d ，e, f |
| C．d, e，f, b，a，c | D．b，c, d，e，f，a |
The underlined word “seedlings” in paragraph 5 means______.
| A．containers | B．seeds | C．young plants | D．layers |
When eating Iettuce5 you’d better ______ so that it tastes best.
| A．store it in plastic bags | B．eat the inside leaves |
| C．wrap it in paper | D．eat while it is fresh |
What can we infer from the passage?
| A．Lettuce is the easiest crop to grow in your garden. |
| B．The lettuce is not hard to plant and store. |
| C．We can plant lettuce in a two-centimeter-high tray. |
| D．We should water lettuce at least twice a day. |
The Man was very sad. He knew that the Cat's days were numbered. The doctor had said there wasn’t anything more that could be done, and that he should take the Cat home and make him as comfortable as possible.
A tear rolled down the Man’s cheek and landed on the Cat’s forehead, The Cat gave him a slightly annoyed look. “Why do you cry, Man?” the Cat asked. “Because you can’t bear the thought of losing me? Because you think you can never replace me?” The Man nodded “yes”.
“Pick up that piece of string from the floor~~there, my ‘toy’ The Man reached over and picked up the string. It was about two feet long and the Cat had been able to entertain himself for hours with it. “Now take each end of the string in one hand,” the Cat ordered. The Man did so.
“The end in your left hand is my birth and the end in your right hand is my death. Now bring the two ends together,” the Cat said. The man did so. Then the Cat continued, “You have made a continuous circle. Does any point along the string appear to be different, worse or better than any other part of the string?” The Man inspected the string and then shook his head.
“Close your eyes.” the Cat said. “Now lick your hand.” The Man widened his eyes in surprise. “Just do it，” the Cat said. “Lick your hand, think of me in all my familiar places, and think about all the pieces of string.”
Licking his hand, he discovered what a cat must know, that licking a paw is very calming and allows one to think more clearly. He continued licking and the corners of his mouth turned upward into the first smile he had shown in days. He waited for the Cat to tell him to stop, and when he didn’t, he opened his eyes. The Cat’s eyes were closed. The Man stroked the warm, brown fur, but the Cat was gone.
One day, not long after, there was a new cat on his lap. She was a lovely calico and white.
It is very different from his earlier beloved Cat and very much the same.Why did the Cat give the man a slightly annoyed look?
| A．Because the man’s tears made the Cat really anxious. |
| B．Because the Cat didn’t know what made the man burst into tears. |
| C．Because the Cat couldn’t go to sleep when the man was in low spirits. |
| D．Because the man didn’t have to be so sad and concerned. |
According to the text, which of the following is the reason why a cat licks paws?
| A．Licking paws can make a cat remain calm and have a clear mind. |
| B．Licking paws will make a cat happy and energetic. |
| C．Licking paws will make a cat find out many unknown secrets. |
| D．Licking paws can make a cat stay tidy and healthy. |
What does the underlined word “string” in paragraph 3 stand for?
| A．Life. | B．Birth. | C．Hope. | D．Power. |
What's the main idea of the passage?
| A．Pets play an important part in our life. |
| B．Life has no end and death is just a new beginning. |
| C．We should take a positive attitude towards life and live life to its fullest. |
| D．It gives us some suggestions on how to relieve ourselves when a pet passes away. |
Forgiving someone who has hurt you or let you down is never an easy thing. Several new studies, however, say that it could have a lot of health benefits. When you think of forgiveness, you probably don’t think of it as being a health or medical problem. Studies from Stanford University, on the other hand, show that something like anger can change your well-being.
When cartoon book characters like the Incredible Hulk get angry, they change colours and often gain special power. In the real world, anger is less obvious and may be more dangerous. That’s why Professor Fred Luskin, founder of the Stanford Forgiveness Project and author of Forgive for Good, says holding on to anger and hatred can harm your physical and mental health. Two new studies seem to show the same idea.
The studies find that people who are able to forgive feel less stress, less back pain, and less depression. They also have fewer headaches, lower blood pressure, and fewer problems on sleeping.
So it doesn’t matter if your anger is caused by the traffic or other things. Learning to let it go is important. Techniques such as deep breath or thought can help. Or just ask yourself if it’s worth hurting yourself by staying angry with someone else.
Forgiveness does not mean that you simply accept what happened and say it’s OK. Instead, it’s a way of making peace with yourself about what happened in the past.
| A．by raising his own examples |
| B．based on his own experience |
| C．by mentioning some studies |
| D．by mentioning some typical patients |
| A．support the viewpoint that anger and hatred harm physical and mental health |
| B．introduce a famous expert |
| C．let the reader know the different colours of cartoon faces |
| D．show how to control one’s temper |
| A．removing | B．keeping up |
| C．getting rid of | D．learning about |
| A．People who are able to forgive feel less stress. |
| B．People who are able to forgive feel less depression. |
| C．People who are able to forgive have fewer problems on sleeping. |
| D．People who are able to forgive feel less tired. |
| A．Forgiveness | B．Forgiveness Is Good for Health |
| C．A Secret to Keeping Health | D．Anger Is Bad for Health |
Welcome aboard the Luxury Cruise bus to Dallas, Rouge, and Atlanta. We plan to arrive in Dallas at 1:45 this afternoon. There will be a fifteen-minute rest stop at that time. We will give a thirty-minute dinner stop in Rouge at 6:15 for those of you who are continuing on to Atlanta. We should arrive in Atlanta at 1:15 tomorrow morning. Please remember the number of your bus for re-boarding. That number is 3224.
This bus is air-conditioned for your comfort. Please remember that smoking of cigarettes is permitted only in the last six rows, and the smoking of any other material is not allowed, as is the drinking of wine.
| A．Atlanta | B．Rouge | C．Baton | D．Dallas |
| A．Smoking of cigarettes. | B．Smoking of any material. |
| C．Having a thirty-minute dinner. | D．Drinking of wine. |
| A．telephoning |
| B．writing a letter |
| C．returning to the bus after a rest stop |
| D．finding the hotel |
| A．there will be a rest stop between the cities |
| B．smoking of cigarettes is permitted |
| C．the air-temperature in the bus can be controlled |
| D．the passages will have a free dinner |
| A．5 hours | B．6 hours and a half |
| C．17 hours | D．18 hours |