There was once a boy called Joseph Webb who always loved to show off how many friends he had at school. One day his _______ said to him, “Joseph, I _______ you a big bag of popcorn that you don’t have as many friends as you think. I’m sure many of them are nothing more than companions.”
Joseph _______ the bet at once. However, he wasn’t sure how to _______ whether his schoolmates were real friends or not, so he asked his grandfather. The old man answered, “Wait a minute.” Then he left and _______ soon as though carrying something in his hands, but Joseph could see _______ there.
“Take it. It’s a very _______ chair because it’s invisible (看不见). It’s rather _______ to sit on, but if you take it to school and _______ to sit on it, you’ll activate (激活) its ________ and it’ll be able to tell who your real friends are.”
Joseph, brave and determined, set off for ________ with the strange and invisible chair. At break time he asked everyone to form a(n) ________, and he put himself in the middle, with his chair. Having difficulty seeing it, Joseph tried to sit on it but he ________ the seat and fell straight onto his backside. Everyone around him had a pretty good ________.
Wait! Let me try again, Joseph said. But again, he missed the seat, ________ more surprised looks and a few catcalls (尖叫,喝倒彩). Joseph didn’t ________ and kept trying to sit on the magic chair. But he kept falling to the ground…until, suddenly he tried again but didn’t ________. Looking around, Joseph saw three of his best friends holding him up. ________, many others he had thought of as friends had done nothing but make fun of him. And there, the show came to an end. Joseph understood that ________ friends were those who care for him, and not just the ________ that happened to be passing by. And someone who took joy in his misfortunes (不幸) was even less of a friend.
1.A. schoolmate B. companion C. grandfather D. stranger
2.A. think B. bet C. guess D. doubt
3.A. accepted B. noticed C. concluded D. believed
4.A. answer B. study C. consider D. test
5.A. passed B. returned C. recovered D. disappeared
6.A. nothing B. everything C. anything D. something
7.A. soft B. beautiful C. special D. comfortable
8.A. exciting B. wonderful C. positive D. difficult
9.A. intend B. decide C. hope D. manage
10.A. magic B. promise C. memory D. knowledge
11.A. home B. school C. party D. hospital
12.A. popcorn B. circle C. chair D. bag
13.A. missed B. held C. sat D. escaped
14.A. pain B. break C. laugh D. interest
15.A. providing B. moving C. causing D. losing
16.A. sort out B. watch over C. turn down D. give up
17.A. sit B. care C. stand D. fall
18.A. However B. Moreover C. Besides D. Therefore
19.A. selfish B. true C. new D. false
20.A. relative B. neighbor C. companion D. teammate
Lots of people find it hard to get up in the morning, and put the blame on the alarm clock. In fact, the key to easy morning wake-up lies in resetting your body clock. 1. Here’s how to make one.
● 2. In order to make a change, you need to decide why It’s important. Do you want to get up in time to have breakfast with your family, get in some exercise，or just be better prepared for your day! Once you are clear about your reasons, tell your family or roommates about the change you want to make.
● Rethink mornings. Now that you know why you want to wake up, consider re-arranging your morning activities. If you want time to have breakfast with your family, save some time the night before by setting out clothes, shoes，and bags. 3. That’s a quarter-hour more you could be sleeping if you bought a coffee maker with a timer.
● Keep your sleep/wake schedule on weekends. If you’re tired out by Friday night, sleeping in on Saturday could sound wonderful. But compensating on the weekends actually feeds into your sleepiness the following week, a recent study found. 4.
● Keep a record and evaluate it weekly. Keep track of your efforts and write down how you feel. After you’ve tried a new method for a week, take a look at your record.5. If not, take another look at other methods you could try.
A. Get a sleep specialist.
B. Find the right motivation.
C. A better plan for sleep can help.
D. And consider setting a second alarm.
E. If the steps you take are working, keep it up.
F. Stick to your set bedtime and wake-up time, no matter the day.
G. Reconsider the 15 minutes you spend in line at the cafe to get coffee.
According to a recent report, about 15% of the people in the UK are members of gyms. But are they more likely to be fit?
A study found that gym members were 14 times more active than people who didn’t belong to any health club. Gym members did six hours more exercise a week, and this activity did make them fitter than non-gym members. They also spent less time sitting down every day than non-gym members. The results were the same for men and women.
The study included 405 people between the ages of 30 and 64, and the main characteristics of those who were gym members were the same as those who were not. “But gym members did more training than non-gym members,” said the lead author, Elizabeth Schroeder of the University of Illinois.
While it might seem clear that gym members exercise more and are healthier than non-gym members, Schroeder says this has not been directly shown before. However, the study is only designed to show a tie between gym membership and more exercise. It may be that active people like to join gyms. In the study, people who exercised as much as gym members were also in good health.
You can get the same benefits wherever you exercise. This study shows a gym membership can make you do more exercise, but other research shows that exercising outside has other help. Outdoor activity can make you feel happy about life—especially if you run through a forest.
Outdoor exercise is also more interesting than going to the gym. The first five minutes of outdoor exercise is especially helpful in making people feel good. But Schroeder says that a gym may also encourage greater exercise because it can be social and fun.
1.What did the new study find out?
A. Gym members had healthier eating habits.
B. There were fewer women gym members than men.
C. Gym members were more active than non-gym members.
D. Gym members did at least eight hours of exercise a week.
2.In the study, researchers studied .
A. 30 gym members and 64 non-gym members
B. people from different age group
C. some sports lovers
D. 405 people who exercise outdoors
3.What does the word “benefits” in Paragraph 5 probably mean?
A. Help. B. Need. C. Advice. D. Injury.
4.Which of the following statements will Elizabeth Schroeder agree with?
A. Women should do more gym exercise.
B. We should be careful with outdoor training.
C. Outdoor exercise is better than gym exercise.
D. It is easier to keep exercising if you go to the gym.
He met her at a party. She was outstanding; many guys were after her, but nobody paid any attention to him. After the party, he invited her for coffee. She was surprised! In order not to appear rude, she went along.
As they sat in a nice coffee shop, he was too nervous to say anything and she felt uncomfortable. Suddenly, he asked the waiter, “Could you please give me some salt? I’d like to put it in my coffee.”
They stared at him. He turned red, but when the salt came, he put it in his coffee and drank. Curious, she asked, “Why salt with coffee?” He explained, “When I was a little boy, I lived near the sea. I liked playing on the sea. I could feel it salty, like salty coffee. Now every time I drink it, I think of my childhood and my hometown. I miss it and my parents, who are still there.”
She was deeply moved. A man who can admit that he’s homesick must love his home and care about his family. He must be responsible. She talked too, about her far away hometown, her childhood, her family. That was the start to their love story.
They continued to date. She found that he met all her requirements. He was kind, warm and careful. She thought she would have missed the catch if not for the salty coffee! So they married and lived happily together. And every time she made coffee for him, she put in some salt, the way he liked it.
After 40 years, he passed away and left her a letter which said:
My dearest, please forgive me my life-long lie. Remember the first time we dated? I was so nervous that I asked for salt instead of sugar. Sweetheart, I don’t exactly like salty coffee. But as it means so much to you, I’ve learned to enjoy it. Having you with me was my greatest happiness. If I could live a second time, I hope we can be together again, even if it means that I have to drink salty coffee for the rest of my life.
1.Why did the man ask for salt instead of sugar?
A. Because he missed his hometown and his family.
B. Because he wanted to catch the attention of the lady.
C. Because he was very nervous and made a mistake.
D. Because he liked salty coffee instead of coffee with sugar.
2.What can be inferred from the passage?
A. The man was outstanding at the party.
B. The man was good at telling a lie.
C. The man was once a fisherman.
D. The man loved the lady very much.
3.What can be a suitable title for the text?
A. A Life-long Lie B. Salty Coffee
C. A Mistake for love D. A Homesick Man
Hong Kong Science Museum
You might really like the Science Museum if you are interested in science. The Museum wants to teach kids science. It gives them a place to have fun with the equipment there. However, adults can learn some science too.
The Museum has 6,500 square metres. There are over 500 exhibits, and nearly 70 percent of them are suitable for visitors of all ages. Since its opening in April 1991, the Hong Kong Science Museum has proven itself to be a good place for learning science. Through having better exhibits and fun science programs in an enjoyable environment, the Museum wants to popularize science to the public and the support science education in schools. Visitors at the Science Museum can visit the exhibition in their own way and enjoy the fun of discovery learning.
If you want to have a visit, you’d better read the information carefully.
Opening hours
Monday to Wednesday, Friday: 10 am~7 pm
Saturday, Sunday and public holidays: 10 am~9 pm
Christmas Eve and Chinese New Year’s Eve: 10 am~5 pm
Closed on Thursdays, and the first two days of the Chinese New Year
Ticketing information
Standard Ticket: HK$ 20
Group Ticket: HK$14
Opening hours
Monday to Wednesday, Friday: 10 am~7 pm
Saturday, Sunday and public holidays: 10 am~9 pm
Christmas Eve and Chinese New Year’s Eve: 10 am~5 pm
Closed on Thursdays, and the first two days of the Chinese New Year
Ticketing information
Standard Ticket: HK$ 20
Group Ticket: HK$14
1.What can children do in the Museum according to the text?
A. They can learn history knowledge.
B. They can have fun when learning science.
C. They are encouraged to help each other.
D. They are allowed to have lunch for free.
2.How much should a member of a tour group pay to visit the Museum?
A. HK$6. B. HK$20. C. HK$34. D. HK$14.
3.When does the Museum close on weekends?
A. 5:00 pm. B. 7:00 pm. C. 9:00 pm. D. 10:00 pm.
听下面一段独白，回答以下小题。
1.What is the talk mainly about?
A. An English dictionary. B. A bookstore. C. A grammar book.
2.When will the sale end?
A. On 5th. B. On 7th. C. On 11th.
3.Where is the talk given?
A. At a company. B. At a school. C. At an exhibition.
4.What is the speaker?
A. A bookstore owner. B. An English teacher. C. A bookseller.
