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To American visitors, Iceland is a very interesting country, partly because it is different in so many ways from he or she is used to seeing at home. There are quite a few things that are not done, or that do not exist on the island---quite a few “No’s”.
There is no pollution, for instance, No dogs are permitted in Reykjavik, the capital. There is no television on Thursdays or during the entire month of July, and only three hours of black-and-white TV the rest of the time. There is no hard liquor(烈酒) on Wednesdays and no beer at any time. There is no handguns; only one jail of thirty-five cells（狱室）in the entire land---an admirable figure, even for a small country of 313,376 people.
There is no army, air force or navy. There is no tipping for anything. There are no large stores open on Saturdays or Sundays. Since Iceland is situated just under the Arctic Circle, there is no darkness in summer and no daylight in winter. But thanks to Culf Stream, the climate is rather mild, with temperatures ranging from 34 degrees to 52 degrees in July.
The rules on television liquor and guns are the result of government decisions. But the absence of pollution is due in great part to the fact that Iceland gets its power from the enormous geyser and the thousands of hot springs that come out of the ground. They provide all the energy needed by the country. In fact, Iceland uses only 3 percent of all its available power.
Iceland has been described as a democratic independent country where more fish are caught and more books published per person than anywhere else in the world. The Icelanders have always felt a particular love for literature. They composed their first books in the ninth and tenth centuries AD. These works were poems and tales about the kings, heroes, and heroines of Iceland and Norway. At first, the stories were memorized and passed from generation to generation. They were finally written down between1140 and 1220. The Icelanders have never stopped writing ever since. “Rather shoeless than bookless,” they proudly say.American visitors enjoy visiting Iceland probably because_______.
| A．no dogs are permitted in the capital |
| B．the police do not carry handguns |
| C．the climate is rather mild |
| D．it is very different from America |
The following statements are true EXCEPT________.
| A．there are no soldiers in Iceland |
| B．the Icelanders don’t drink beer |
| C．there is no tip of any kind |
| D．there are no crimes in Iceland |
There is no pollution in Iceland mainly because_______.
| A．Iceland uses only 3 percent of all its available power |
| B．the Icelanders use hot water from the ground below as their energy |
| C．it is located just under the Arctic Circle |
| D．it is a democratic independent country |
“Rather shoeless than bookless” means_______.
| A．they prefer not to have shoe or books |
| B．they would rather have shoes on than write books |
| C．they prefer travelling to reading |
| D．they regard books more important than shoes. |
For many parents , raising a teenager is like fighting a long war ,but years go by without any clear winner. Like a border conflict between neighboring countries , the parent-teen war is about boundaries: Where is the line between what I control and what you do?
Both sides want peace, but neither feels it has any power to stop the conflict. In part, this is because neither is willing to admit any responsibility for starting it. From the parents’ point of view, the only cause of their fight is their adolescents’ complete unreasonableness. And of course，theteens see it in exactly the same way, except oppositely . Both feel trapped.
In this article， I’ll describe three no-win situations that commonly arise between teens and parents and then suggest some ways out of the trap. The first no-win situation is quarrels over unimportant things . Examples include the color of the teen’s hair, the cleanliness of the bedroom ,the preferred style of clothing , the child’s failure to eat a good breakfast before school, or his tendency to sleep until noon on the weekends .Second , blaming. The goal of a blaming battle is to make the other admit that his bad attitude is the reason why everything goes wrong. Third , needing to be right .It doesn’t matter what the topic is –politics. The laws of physics ,or the proper way to break an egg –the point of these arguments is to prove that you are right and the other person is wrong，for both wish to be considered an authority—someone who actually knows something — and therefore to command respect. Unfortunately , as long as long as parents and teens continue to assume that they know more than the other ,they’ll continue to fight these battles forever and never make any real progress. Why does the author compare the parent-teen war to a border conflict?
| A．Both can continue for generations. |
| B．Both are about where to draw the line |
| C．Neither has any clear winner |
| D．Neither can be put to an end |
What does the underlined part in Paragraph 2 mean?
| A．The teens blame their parents for starting the conflict. |
| B．The teens agree with their parents on the cause of the conflict |
| C．The teens accuse their parents of misleading them |
| D．The teens tend to have a full understanding of their parents |
Parents and teens want to be right because they want to ________.
| A．give orders to the other |
| B．know more than the other |
| C．gain respect from the other |
| D．get the other to behave properly |
What will the author most probably discuss in the paragraph that follows?
| A．Causes for the parent –teen conflicts |
| B．Examples of the parent –teen war. |
| C．Solutions for the parent –teen problems |
| D．Future of the parent-teen relationship |
How words came into being is unknown. All we assume（推测）is that some early men invented certain sounds, in one way or another, to express thoughts and feelings, actions and things, so that they could talk with each other. Later they agreed upon certain signs, called letters, which could be put together to show those sounds, and which could be written down. Those sounds, whether spoken or written in letters, are called words.
The power of words, then, lies in their associations-the things they bring up to our minds. Words become filled with meaning for us by experience; and the longer we live, the more certain words bring back to us the happy and sad events of our past; and the more we read and learn, the more the number of words that mean something to us increases.
Great writers are those who not only have great thoughts but also express these thoughts in words which have powerful effects on our minds and feelings. This clever use of words is what we call literary style（文体）.Above all, the real poet is a master of words. He can express his meaning in words which sing like music , and which by their position and association can move men to tears. We should therefore learn to choose our words carefully and use then correctly, or they will make our speech silly and common. We learn from the text that language might have begun with( ).
| A．expressions |
| B．actions |
| C．signs |
| D．sounds |
In the last paragraph, what does the author suggest that we should do?
| A．Use words skillfully . |
| B．Make musical speeches . |
| C．Learn poems by heart . |
| D．Associate with listeners |
When I was six, Dad brought home a dog one day, who was called “Brownie”. My brothers and I all loved Brownie and did different things with her. Ore of us would walk her, another would feed her, then there were baths, playing catch and many other games, Brownie, in return. loved each and every one of us. One thing that most touched my heart was that she would go to whoever was sick and just be with them we always felt better when she was around.
One day, as I was getting her food, she chewed up(咬破)one of Dad’s shoes, which had to be thrown away in the end. I knew Dad would be mad and I had to let her know what she did was wrong. When I looked at her and said, “Bad girl！” she looked down at the ground and then went and hid. I saw a tear in her eyes.
Brownie turned out to be more than just our family pet, she went everywhere with us .People would stop and ask if they could pet her. Of course she’d let anyone pet her. She was just the most lovable dog. There were many times when we’d be out walking and a small child would come over and pull pm her hair. she never barked(吠) or tried to get away. Funny thing is she would smile. This frightened people because they thought she was showing her teeth. Far from the truth, she loved everyone.
Now many years have passed since Brownie died of old age. I still miss days when she was with us. What would Brownie do when someone was ill in the family?
| A．Look at them sadly. |
| B．Keep them company. |
| C．Play games with them. |
| D．Touch them gently. |
We can infer from Paragraph 2 that Brownie__________.
| A．world eat anything when hungry |
| B．felt sorry for her mistake |
| C．loved playing hide-and-seek |
| D．disliked the author’s dad |
Why does the author say that Brownie was more than just a family pet?
| A．She was treated as a member of the family. |
| B．She played games with anyone she liked. |
| C．She was loved by everybody she met. |
| D．She went everywhere with the family. |
Some people got frightened by Brownie when she__________.
| A．smiled |
| B．barked |
| C．rushed to them |
| D．tried to be funny |
Which of the following best describes Brownie?
| A．Shy |
| B．Polite |
| C．Brave |
| D．Caring |
I used to live selfishly, I should admit. But one moment changed me.
I was on my lunch break and had the office to get something to eat . On the way, I
a busker(街头艺人)，with a hat in front of him. I had some
in my pocket, but I would not give them to him, thinking to myself he would
use the money to feed his addiction to drugs or alcohol. He
like that type-young and ragged.
what was I going to spend the money on? Only to feed my addiction to Coca-Cola or chocolate! I then
I had no right to place myself above
just because he was busking.
I and dropped all the coins into his
, and he smiled at me, I watched for a while. As
as it sounds, I expected something more to come from that moment—a feeling of
or satisfaction, for example. But nothing happened
, I walked off. “It proved to be a waste of
,”I thought.
On my way home at the end of the , I saw the busker again and he was
. I watched him pick up the hat and walk
a cafe counter. There he poured the
contents into a tin collecting
an earthquake fund-raising(募捐) event. He was busking for charity(慈善)！
Now I donate any I have to charity tins and enjoy the feeling of giving.
A. left B. cleaned
C. prepared D. searched
A. led B. chose
C. saw D. fooled
A. chocolates B. coins
C. tins D. drugs
A. almost B. only
C. rather D. still
A. acted B. looked
C. sounded D. smelt
A. ThoughB. For
C. Therefore D. But
A. declared B. realized
C. expected D. guessed
A. it B. all
C. him D. them
A. waited B. followed
C. stopped D. arrived
A. rag B. hat
C. pocket D. counter
A. selfish B. awkward
C. innocent D. special
A. happiness B. sadness
C. love D. hate
A. Disappointedly B. Unfortunately
C. Coincidentally D. Comfortably
A. words B. effort
C. space D. money
A. moment B. day
C. break D. event
A. walking around B. passing by
C. packing up D. running off
A. around B. in
C. behind D. to
A. chief B. basic
C. actual D. total
A. by B. for
C. on D. with
A. work B. time
C. energy D. change
Easy Ways to Keep Your Brain Sharp
Everyone is forgetful, but as we age, we start to feel like our brains are slowing down a bit—and that can be a very annoying thing.Read on for some techniques worth trying.
1.
People who regularly made plans and looked forward to upcoming events had a 50 percent reduced chance of Alzheimer's disease (早老性痴呆症), according to a recent study.Something as simple as setting a goal to have a weekly coffee date with a friend will do. There's evidence that people who have a purpose in life or who are working on long or short-term goals appear to do better. In other words, keep your brain looking forward.
2. Go for a walk.
Mildly raised glucose (葡萄糖) levels can harm the area of the brain that helps you form memories and physical activity can help get blood glucose down to normal levels. In fact, exercise produces chemicals that are good for your brain.
3. Learn something new.
Take a Spanish class online, join a drawing club, or learn to play cards. A study found that mental stimulation (刺激) limits the weakening effects of aging on memory and the mind. But the best thing for your brain is when you learn something new and are physically active at the same time.Or go dancing with your friends.
| A．Focus on the future. |
| B．This can be especially harmful to the aged. |
| C．It should be something like learning gardening. |
| D．So take a few minutes each day to do some reading. |
E. But don't worry if your schedule isn't filled with life-changing events.
F. Luckily, research shows there is a lot you can do to avoid those moments.
G. In other words, when you take care of your body, you take care of your brain.