A British shopper, Emma Mumford, who was named “the Coupon(优惠券) Queen” has spent just £350 on a luxury(奢侈) Christmas for her and her family—but got £2,500 worth of food, drink and presents thanks to coupons and offers.
Ms Mumford is a so-called “extreme couponer” and spends hours hunting out the best deals and bargains. She has been preparing for this Christmas since the end of the last one. Ms Mumford made the huge savings by checking price comparison websites and as a result collected more presents than she needed for Christmas. After sorting out gifts for all of her family, she has even been able to donate £1,000 worth of presents to her local hospital.
“It has been so nice to have Christmas sorted and not having to worry about breaking the bank. I wanted to get high quality presents for my family and show that you can do it without spending a fortune. There is a misconception that everyone who does couponing only gets value products but through my careful shopping I have managed to purchase designer perfumes(香水), a high-end coffee machine.” she explained.
She said “What started as a hobby to help me save money has turned into my life and I am able to run a business helping people save money. I know what it feels like to struggle as my ex-partner had a lot of debt which I took on for him. We were in a poor situation where every penny counted. That’s what really inspired me.”
She has now turned her bargain-hunting addiction into a business where she searches for the best deals and offers tips to the general public through video blogging and her Facebook Page.
“I try and show people that it is just a little bit of work in the beginning but it will eventually pay off. One of the best things to do is just to be a bit forward thinking and save throughout the year.”
What does “breaking the bank” in the third paragraph mean?
| A．Buying presents of low quality. |
| B．Breaking into the bank. |
| C．Spending more money than you have. |
| D．Taking out money from the bank. |
What really inspired Emma to help people save money?
| A．Her addiction to bargain-hunting. |
| B．The financial difficulties she shared with her ex-partner. |
| C．The poor situation people around her were going through. |
| D．Her experience of running an unsuccessful business. |
Which of the following can best describe Emma?
| A．Ambitious and creative. |
| B．Sensitive and determined. |
| C．Brave and lucky. |
| D．Careful and caring. |
How did Emma make the huge savings?
| A．She compared prices through websites. |
| B．She hunted out bargains in real shops. |
| C．She used coupons and offers worth £3,500. |
| D．She collected more Christmas presents than needed. |
On the evening of June 21, 1992, a tall man with brown hair and blue eyes entered the beautiful hall of the Bell Tower Hotel in Xi’an with his bicycle. The hotel workers received him and telephoned the manager, for they had never seen a bicycle in the hotel ball before though they lived in “the kingdom of bicycles.”
Robert Friedlander, an American, arrived in Xi’an on his bicycle trip across Asia which started last December in New Delhi, India.
When he was 11, he read the book Ma-rco Polo and made up his mind to visit the Silk Road. Now, after 44 years , he was on the Silk Road in Xi’an and his early dreams were coming true.
Robert Friedlander’s next destinations (目的地) were Lanzhou, Dunhuang, Urumqi, etc. He will complete his trip in Pakistan.The best headline(标题) for this newspaper article would be________.
| A．The Kingdom of Bicycles | B．A Beautiful Hotel in Xi’an |
| C．Marco Polo and the Silk Road | D．An American Achieving His Aims |
The hotel workers told the manager about Friedlander coming to the hotel because
| A．he asked to see the manager |
| B．he entered the hall with a bike |
| C．the manager had to know about all foreign guests |
| D．the manager knew about his trip and was expecting him |
Friedlander is visiting the three countries in the following order,.
| A．China, Pakistan, and India | B．Pakistan, China, and India |
| C．India, China, and Pakistan | D．China, India, and Pakistan |
Most Chinese people these days know what it is like to have an “English teacher”, since almost all pupils study English from their third year. Usually that first English teacher will be a young and lovely lady in primary school. But my first English teacher is no other than my father. Looking back, I can see that, when I was only a little girl, he created an English environment by providing me with flashcards，fun English- language toys and even dolls which can sing English songs! My interest in English had certainly been awakened (唤起) when I began to learn English at school. Just imagine, he went a step further and asked me to learn New Concept English by myself! I was puzzled and even angry. I could not understand why a father could be so strict with his little girl. All the same, he never gave up and he gently insisted that I follow through with his idea. At first, I read stories with tears and I actually hated them because they were too difficult for me. In the end, I came to love the funny stories and, to be honest, my father was always there with a helping hand. I am sure that my English would never have got so far without his support. And that’s why my father is not only my first English teacher but also my lifelong teacher. He is one who awoke my interest, and who gave me much confidence .Most pupils in China begin to learn English________.
| A．in primary school | B．from parents | C．at three years old | D．at home |
The underline part ”no other than my father” in the passage probably means________.
| A．like my father | B．not my father | C．my father himself | D．not only my father |
From the whole passage we can see that________.
| A．the girl preferred playing to learning English |
| B．the girl hates her father because he was strict |
| C．the girl is very thankful to her father |
| D．the father gave up after knowing his daughter could not understand |
Which of the following is NOT true according to the passage?
| A．The girl’s father is her first English teacher. |
| B．The girl had been interested in English before going to school. |
| C．The girl’s father was always ready to help her with her English. |
| D．The girl could have learned English well by herself without her father. |
What would be the best title for the passage?
| A．How I learned English at school |
| B．My father---my first and lifelong English teacher |
| C．The relationship between my father and me |
| D．I’ve made progress in English learning |
At present time, roller skating (滑旱冰) is easy and fun. But many years ago, it wasn’t easy at all. Before 1750, people never tried skating on wheels. That changed because of a man named Joseph Merlin. Merlin’s work was making instruments (工具). In his free time he liked to play the violin. Merlin was a man with many ideas and many dreams. People called him a dreamer.
One day Merlin received an invitation to go to an important party. He was very pleased and a little excited. As the day of the party came near, Merlin began to think. He wanted to find a way to make a wonderful entrance at the party. Merlin had an idea. He thought that he would attract much attention if he could skate into the room.
Merlin tried different ways to make himself roll (滚动). Finally, he decided to put two wheels under each shoe. These were the first roller skate shoes. Merlin was very proud of them. He dreamed of arriving at the party and skating into the room while playing the violin. He was sure that everyone would be very surprised.
On the night of the party Merlin rolled into the room, playing his violin. Everyone was really surprised to see him. There was just one problem. Merlin had no way to stop his roller skating. He rolled on, playing the violin. Then, with all eyes on him, Merlin hit into a huge mirror on the wall. The mirror broke into many pieces with a very loud noise.
Nobody forgot Merlin’s wonderful entrance after that.The first paragraph tells us that people began to skate on wheels from 1750 because (of ) _______.
| A．it is very easy | B．it is very exciting |
| C．Joseph Merlin’s instruments | D．it is very popular |
People called Merlin a dreamer because ___________.
| A．he slept and dreamed a lot |
| B．he was full of different ideas and dreams |
| C．he invented the first roller skates |
| D．he always made people’s dreams come true |
___________ made Merlin think of skating on wheels.
| A．Merlin’s work | B．Merlin’s violin | C．A huge mirror | D．An important party |
What was Merlin’s problem after he rolled into the room?
| A．He couldn’t stop his roller-skating. |
| B．He couldn’t attract a lot of attention. |
| C．Everyone was surprised at him. |
| D．He couldn’t play the violin while rolling. |
What’s the best title for the passage?
| A．Joseph Merlin’s Story |
| B．How Roller Skating Was Invented |
| C．A Surprising Entrance to the Party |
| D．Violin and roller skating |
—I dreamed of some animals running on the moon.
—Itbe. There is no air or water on the moon，you know.
| A．can't | B．may not | C．shouldn't | D．mustn’t |
Australia’s Northern Territory became the first legal authority in the world to perform euthanasia(安乐死)—that’s to say, doctors are permitted to take the lives of incurably ill patients who wish to die. Word that the law was passed by the vote of 15 to 10 immediately flashed on the Internet and was picked up by John, the director of the Right to Die Society of Canada, who posted it on the group’s homepage online, saying, “This isn’t merely something that happened in Australia. It’s world history.”
The NT Rights of the Terminally Ill Law has left physicians and citizens trying to deal with its moral and practical influence. Some have breathed sighs of relief; but others, including churches, right to life groups and the Australian Medical Association, bitterly attacked the law. But the tide is unlikely to turn back. In Australia--where an aging population, life-extending technology and changing community attitudes have all played their part—other states are going to consider making a similar law. In the U. S. and Canada, where the right to die movement is gathering strength, observers are waiting for the dominoes (多米诺骨牌) to start falling.
Under the new Northern Territory law, an adult patient can request death--probably by a deadly injection or pill--to end suffering. The patient must be diagnosed as incurably ill by two doctors. After a "cooling off" period of seven days, the patient can sign a certificate of request. After 48 hours the wish for death can be met. For Lloyd, a 54-year-old Darwin resident suffering from lung cancer, the NT Rights of Terminally Ill Law means he can get on with living without the disturbing fear of his suffering: a terrifying death from his breathing condition. "I' m not afraid of dying from a spiritual point of view, but what I was afraid of was how I'd go, because I've watched people die in the hospital fighting for oxygen and clawing at their masks," he says.According to the text, which of the following statements is TURE?
| A．Patients will ask their doctors for euthanasia if they are afraid of illness. |
| B．Australia, Canada and the US speak highly of the law of euthanasia. |
| C．All people in Australia don’t share the positive attitude to euthanasia |
| D．If a patient requests death, he should sign a certificate after 48 hours. |
The underlined sentence in Para 2, “observers are waiting for the dominoes to start falling.” means that observers are prepared to learn the news that .
| A．some other countries pass similar laws |
| B．Australia has to put an end to euthanasia |
| C．people begin to change attitudes to euthanasia |
| D．different effects result from the game of dominoes |
Which is NOT the reason for Australia to become the first country to pass the law of euthanasia?
| A．Australia has advanced technology of extending life. |
| B． Australians realize suffering from a terrible disease is worse than death. |
| C．Australia is faced with a growing ageing population. |
| D．Australians find it easy to deal with the moral and practical influence. |
It can be inferred from the text that .
| A．Australia passed the law of euthanasia by the vote of 15 to 10 |
| B．John and his group are in favor of the law of euthanasia in Australia. |
| C．an adult patient can request euthanasia by a deadly injection or pill |
| D．Lloyd has seen many people die in the hospital fighting for oxygen. |
What’s the author’s attitude to euthanasia?
| A．Negative | B．Critical | C．Doubtful | D．Positive |