Erica McElrath calls herself “ The Happy Lady”. And by now, you may have caught her singing and dancing with her mp3 player on any of several city street corners. “ I don’t want money,” said McElrah, 40, of St. Louis. “ I come out here to make people smile.”
McElrah lost her full-time job in January. Since then, she has spent her days doing what she loves-dancing in the street. Her message to people in hard times: do something that you enjoy, no matter what your circumstances. “ Life isn’t that bad,” she said. “ If you’re working 40 hours a week, you shouldn’t be complaining.”
McElrah graduated from parkway Central High School and has spent the past 21 years working as a nursing assistant, She began singing and dancing publicly on her days off a few years ago to help her through the pain of her second divorce.
Her favorite spot is the northwest corner of Chouteau Avenue and South Grand Boulevard near St. Louis University. McElrah’s mp3 player is loaded with hundreds of classic rock hits and 80’s pop songs, including those by Joe Cocker, Tina Turner, Neil Diamond and Toto. But her favorite artist, by far, is Stevie Nicks.
Videos of McElrah have appeared on YouTube, a video-sharing website on which users can upload, share, and view videos. “People think I’m crazy, but I don’t care,” She said. “ I can dance a little. I just go with the music.” Even a rude gesture from a passing motorist doesn’t bother her either. “ I just smile and wave,” she said.
McElrah’s show of bravery recently earned her a job opportunity with Liberty Tax Service, which temporarily offered her a job as a dancer Statute of Liberty to promote a new place near Grand Center starting in January.
“ Just be happy and do what you love,” she said. “The money will come.”At first McElrah began singing and dancing in public in order to _____.
| A．make a living |
| B．entertain the public |
| C．rise to fame |
| D．encourage herself |
Erica McElrah’s actions are _______.
| A．popular with others |
| B．stopped by her family |
| C．supported by passers-by |
| D．laughed at sometimes |
Erica McElrah was offered a job because of _____.
| A．her beautiful voice |
| B．her positive behavior |
| C．her lively dancing |
| D．her competitive spirit |
Which of the following about Erica McElrah is TRUE？
| A．She doesn’t care others’ comments on her. |
| B．Her favorite artist is Joe Cocker. |
| C．She once worked as a doctor. |
| D．She has been divorced once. |
What would be the best title for the passage?
| A．Ways To Be Happy |
| B．Learn To Do What You Love |
| C．Happy Lady’s Singing and Dancing Life |
| D．What Made The Happy Lady Famous? |
One-hundred-and seventh birthdays aren’t usually celebrated for authors who aren’t alive anymore. But Theodor Seuss Geisel---better known as the children’s books author Dr. Seuss ---who came into the world on 2 March, 1904, was an unusual man.
Like generations of children I was raised on his wonderful stories. But when I now read them to my children it’s not just the childhood memories I enjoy. His writing is brilliant and imaginative and flows with a self-confidence as sure as the words of a Shakespeare poem. Readers ride his characteristic rhythm (韵律) with an effortless joy that cannot be matched by any other modern writer:
You have brains in your head
You have feet in your shoes
You can steer yourself any direction you choose
And will you succeed?
Yes indeed, yes indeed!
Ninety-eight and three-quarters percent guaranteed.
Seuss’s brilliant cartoons and clever words make his books a delight for adults but they attract mostly children of course. His stories teach kids moral lessons but in indirect and entertaining ways.
The first Seuss book I was given was The Lorax, written just as the 60s were becoming the 70s. Seuss was ahead of his time, and in this book the dawn of concern for environmental problems are shown as the Lorax “who speaks for the trees” battles against an evil businessman who wants to destroy the forest and make goods “which everyone needs”.
It’s not only a warning of the heavy price of environmental destruction, written well before most people had thought to worry, but it’s also a smart analysis of consumer societies: “Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It’s not.” This is of course a moral message, but not of the kind designed to persuade the youngsters into behavior that adults want.
I could go on, but hey, it’s a birthday, and I’m sure you folks have some good toasts to raise for the party…What’s the purpose of this passage?
| A．To introduce Dr. Seuss’s life. |
| B．To analyze Dr. Seuss’s books. |
| C．To describe Dr. Seuss’s writing style. |
| D．To celebrate Dr. Seuss’s achievements. |
Why does the author include Dr. Seuss’s poem?
| A．To encourage readers to use their brains and choose their own way. |
| B．To give readers a sample of Seuss’s story The Lorax. |
| C．To provide readers with an example of Seuss’s writing style. |
| D．To explain how relevant Seuss’s stories remain today. |
Why do adults also enjoy Seuss’s books?
| A．His words and pictures are imaginative enough to be enjoyed by all. |
| B．His books give children obvious moral messages to learn from. |
| C．He writes about adult topics in a way that is understandable to children. |
| D．He was the first person to write about the environment. |
When was the book The Lorax written?
| A．Early 1960s. | B．Early 1970s. |
| C．Late 1960s. | D．Late 1970s. |
Which of the following is true about Seuss?
| A．Many of the issues he discussed attracted greater concern in later years. |
| B．He is widely considered as the twentieth-century Shakespeare. |
| C．His books are more popular now than when they were first published. |
| D．Most readers thought his ideas were difficult to understand. |
Some people will do just about anything to save money. And I am one of them. Take my family’s last vacation. It was my six-year-old son’s winter break form school, and we were heading home from Fort Lauderdale after a weeklong trip. The flight was overbooked, and Delta, the airline, offered us $400 per person in credits to give up our seats and leave the next day. I had meetings in New York，So I had to get back. But that didn't mean my husband and my son couldn't stay. I took my nine-month-old and took off for home.
The next day, my husband and son were offered more credits to take an even later flight. Yes, I encouraged—okay, ordered—them to wait it out at the airport, to "earn" more Delta Dollars. Our total take: $1,600. Not bad, huh?
Now some people may think I'm a bad mother and not such a great wife either. But as a big-time bargain hunter, I know the value of a dollar. And these days, a good deal is something few of us can afford to pass up.
I've made living looking for the best deals and exposing （揭露）the worst tricks. I have been the consumer reporter of NBC's Today show for over a decade. I have written a couple of books including one titled Tricks of the Trade: A Consumer Survival Guide. And I really do what I believe in.
I tell you this because there is no shame in getting your money’s worth. I’m also tightfisted when it comes to shoes, clothes for my children, and expensive restaurants. But I wouldn't hesitate to spend on a good haircut. It keeps its shape longer, and it's the first thing people notice. And I will also spend on a classic piece of furniture. Quality lasts.Why did Delta give the author's family credits?
| A．They took a later flight. |
| B．They had early bookings. |
| C．Their flight had been delayed. |
| D．Their flight had been cancelled. |
What can we learn about the author?
| A．She rarely misses a good deal. |
| B．She seldom makes a compromise. |
| C．She is very strict with her children. |
| D．She is interested in cheap products. |
What does the author do?
| A．She's a teacher. | B．She's a housewife. |
| C．She's a media person. | D．She's a businesswoman. |
What does the author want to tell us?
| A．How to expose bad tricks. | B．How to reserve airline seats. |
| C．How to spend money wisely. | D．How to make a business deal. |
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You don’t have to be a student to buy one of our plans. Non-students can visit our sister site International Citizens —International Health Insurance.
If you are looking for an international plan to fit the need of your group of international students, please visit our group insurance center for more. Any student who wants to learn about the insurance plans can click the following EXCEPT ______.
| A．Student Safety | B．International Citizens |
| C．Atlas International | D．Student STM |
The underlined word “browse” (in Paragraph 4) means “______”.
| A．look after | B．look for |
| C．look through | D．look at |
Where can we probably read this passage?
| A．In a newspaper. | B．On the Internet. |
| C．In a magazine. | D．In a story book. |
The group insurance center is for ______.
| A．every student | B．groups of international students |
| C．American students | D．single international student |
Everything has a name. All people, places and things have names. For example, Jenny is the name of a student from England. England is the name of her country. Cities and towns have names, too. Schools and office building also have names. All things have names. Names are important.
Names are different all over the world. In Jenny’s class, Jenny must learn the names of students from all over the world. This is very difficult because the names are different. www.
In the USA, most people have a first name, a middle name, and a last name. Parents choose the first and middle names for their baby. There are names for boys and names for girls. For example, John, Peter, Tom and Mike are all names for boys. Elizabeth, Betty, Susan, and Mary are all names for girls. The last name is the family name. Usually it is the father’s family name. In a family, the mother, the father, and the children usually have the same last name.
Names are different all over the world. They can be long or short, but they are always very important.Why does everything have a name? Because ______.
| A．it is very interesting to have a name |
| B．it is very easy to be remembered |
| C．it is very easy to be told from others |
| D．both B and C |
It is difficult to learn names all over the world because ______.
| A．there are many different languages |
| B．the names in different countries are different |
| C．some names are very short, some are very long |
| D．there are many names all over the world |
Which of the following is true?
| A．It’s difficult to learn the names because they are different |
| B．There is no difference between girls’ names and boys’ names |
| C．Jenny doesn’t want to learn the names very well |
| D．It’s easy for Jenny to learn the names of her classmates. |
What names are for girls?
| A．George, Linda, Susan | B．Tom, Jill, Candy |
| C．Elizabeth, Betty, Mary | D．Peter, Jeff, Jack |
A long time ago people thought that the sun went round the earth. In some countries people even said that the sun was a god (神). They thought the god drove across the sky each day on a golden horse. Now we know the earth goes round the sun. It takes the earth a year to go all way round the sun. Today men even know how far it is for the earth to go round the sun. They tell us that the earth travels over a thousand miles a minute on its journey round the sun.
The sun is really a star. It is much bigger than the earth and it is very hot. Some people have been to the moon but we know that no one can ever go to the sun. It is far too hot for people to live anywhere near it. The sun is three hundred thousand times heavier than the earth and more than million times larger.A long time ago, people said the sun was ____.
| A．a golden horse of god | B．a god on a golden horse |
| C．a god with golden dress | D．a god and a golden horse |
The earth travels over ____ miles an hour.
| A．1,000 | B．100,000 | C．6,000,000 | D．60,000 |
One year is ____
| A．the time for the earth to turn round. |
| B．the time the earth travels one thousand miles. |
| C．one circle the earth goes round the sun. |
| D．the journey of the earth. |