With the explosion of consumer choices in recent history, the latest must-haves would surely need to be upgraded more often than every 10 years. In 2002 a computer and basic mobile phone would have been enough for most people, but now? The public need a trendy notebook computer and a smart phone with WiFi connection to feel they are up-to-date. So when will we have enough things? When will we finally be happy? Well, it looks like the things we buy today will barely keep us satisfied for a few months.
In the eyes of some psychologists, far from making us happy, greater consumer choice creates many serious psychological problems. A fundamental principle of the society is that more freedom is better and more choice in the marketplace means more freedom. Therefore more choice leads to more happiness. This is not the case, however.
Imagine you go to a café offering chocolate and vanilla ice cream. You choose the chocolate and eat it happily. But what if the café serves 50 kinds of ice cream? You choose chocolate and then start to worry, “maybe blueberry would have been better, perhaps the half-fat ice cream would have been healthier. Stupid me, all these choices and I didn’t make the best one! ”
In China’s major cities we have now passed the point where more consumer choice is making us happier. We are annoyed by all the options we have, disappointed because our expectations are so high and angered at ourselves when we don’ t make a perfect choice every time.
A newspaper reporter tells a story about traveling on a plane with high-speed Internet access. He thought this was amazing—the newest piece of technology he had heard of. Then the service went down. The man next to him was angry and swore. The reporter thought, “How quickly the world owes him something he knew existed only 10 seconds ago!”
1.What is the text mainly talking about?
A. Hi-tech and consumer needs.
B. Computers and smart phones.
C. Wireless products and WiFi connection.
D. Diverse choices and consumer satisfaction.
2.What may some psychologists think of the consumer demand in the café?
A. The consumer has mental problems.
B. More choice means more freedom.
C. Variety leads to unhappiness.
D. The shop provides too many choices.
3.Why was the man next to the reporter quite annoyed?
A. The net connection was interrupted. B. Someone owed him money.
C. The air hostess offered poor service. D. The pleasure lasted only 10 seconds.
4.What does the underlined word “swore” in the last paragraph probably mean?
A. Fell asleep. B. Said rude words.
C. Made promises. D. Became amazed.
Three boys were enjoying themselves in their hometown of Bovina, Mississippi. However, their lives were turned upside down when they discovered the jawbone of a Mastodon (齿乳象).
Brothers Shawn and Caid Sellers and cousin Michael Mahalitc found the prehistoric bone in a piece of earth that was recently plowed (犁、耕). “I thought it was a log,” Caid said. “I tried to pick it up and it was really heavy and I saw teeth on it.” The bone weighed about 50 pounds. They eventually got the bone to their home and fitted it in their tub (浴盆), but it took their collective strength, might and a golf cart, to carry the large Mastodon bone.
“They didn’t expect to find that,” Michael’s mom said. “Now that they have, I believe that they will be more aware of their surroundings and what they’re digging up when they are digging and playing.”
“We’ve gotten a lot of petrified (石化的) wood and Civil War relics from the area and that’s what I thought it was,” the brothers’ mother said. “This is our first set of teeth we’ve found. So we thought it was their imagination. We were quite surprised to see that it was not their imagination.”
They were exploring near the brothers’ home. Lo and behold (真想不到), they saw what they thought resembled a fossil. It was the curator of paleontology (古生物负责人) of the Mississippi Museum of Natural Science, George Phillips, who first identified the bone as a “very mature individual.”
The Mastodon was a mammal who lived during the prehistoric times. They had long tusks and trunks, like elephants. They were clearly different from their modern-day counterparts, as well as woolly mammoths (猛犸).
1.How did they find the jawbone of a Mastodon?
A. With great efforts. B. By chance.
C. Instructed by an expert. D. Through imagination.
2.At first the brothers’ mother thought the jawbone was________.
A. from people who died in the Civil War B. the bone from a very mature individual
C. like a log or something D. the prehistoric bone
3.The discovery of the jawbone of a Mastodon is important mainly because it________.
A. helps people to know more about the Civil War
B. teaches kids to be more aware of their surroundings
C. promotes the research on more prehistoric creatures
D. attracts the Mississippi Museum of Natural Science
4.Which of the following can be the best title for the article?
A. Prehistoric Bones Recently Found in Mississippi
B. Not Petrified Wood Nor Civil War Relics
C. First Identifying Bone as a “Very Mature Individual”
D. Unexpectedly Discovering Mastodon Jawbone
Confucius Institute
The Confucius Institute at the University of Minnesota offers several short classes on Chinese language and culture.
★Class Fees
The cost of classes is $225 ($170 for Chinese Rehab)
★Class Calendar
The Confucius Institute follows the University of Minnesota semester schedule. The Confucius Institute classes start a few weeks after the start of the University semester and last for ten class sessions. Classes are not held on University holidays.
The upcoming class sessions will be:
Spring 2018: February 1- April 7
Summer 2018: June 13- August 25
Tentative class calendar:
The schedule may change due to teacher availability.
MONDAY | TUESDAY | WEDNESDAY | THURSDAY |
Beginning I, Section A 6:00 ~ 7:30 p.m. | Beginning I, Section B 6:00 ~ 7:30 p.m. | Beginning II 6:00 ~ 7:30 p.m. | Intermediate II 6:00 ~ 7:00 p.m. |
Chinese Rehab 6:30 ~ 7:00 p.m. | Intermediate I 6:00 ~ 7:30 p.m. | Beginning III 6:00 ~ 7:30 p.m. | Intermediate III 6:00 ~ 7:30 p.m. |
★Class Cancellations
Any class not meeting minimum enrollment by four business days before the class start date will be cancelled and you will be contacted. If we must cancel a class due to insufficient enrollment or any other circumstance beyond our control, we will offer a full refund or issue credit towards another class.
★Contact Information
The Confucius Institute is located within the University International Center on the east bank of the Twin Cities campus. The University International Center is located in the Keeler Apartment building. Enter at the corner of 17th Avenue S.E. and 4th Street through the doors located near the “University International Center” sign.
Office hours
The office is generally open Monday through Friday, from 8:00 a.m. until 4: 30 p.m.
The office is closed daily from12:.00 noon until 1: 00 p. m. and is closed on all University holidays.
Office Address
160 University International Center, 331-17th Ave. S.E., Minneapolis, MN 55414
Phone: 612625-5080
Fax: 612-625-5158
Email: confucius@ umn. edu
1.Chinese Rehab ________________.
A. costs more money
B. is held on Monday
C. lasts one and a half hours
D. has four classes a week
2.To get information about the classes, you can visit the office ___________.
A. on Monday noon
B. at 12:30 a.m., Tuesday
C. on Wednesday evening
D. at 1: 30 p.m., Friday
3.What is True about the classes?
A. The schedule may be changeable.
B. They can be one-to-one instruction.
C. They are held on University holidays.
D. They start at the beginning of the University semester.
假定你是李华，在你校学习的交换生Peter 在暑假欲回国看望父母朋友，他请你帮忙推荐几件具有中国特色的礼品。请给他写一封电子邮件。内容包括：
1、推荐礼品：中国结（Chinese knot）、毛笔（Writing brush）等；
2、推荐理由；
3、恳请他考虑你的建议。
注意：1、词数100左右（开头和结尾已给出，不计入总词数）；
2、可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。
Dear Peter,
I have known that you will go back to your country to spend the summer holiday.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Best wishes!
Yours,
Li Hua
假定英语课上老师要求同桌之间交换修改作文，请你修改你同桌写的以下作文，文中共有10处语言错误，每句中最多有两处，每处错误仅涉及一个单词的增加、删改或修改。
增加：在缺词处加一个漏字符号（Λ），并在其下面写出该加的词。
删除：把多余的词用斜线（\）划掉。
修改：在错的词下划一横线，并在该词下面写出修改后的词。
注意：1.每处错误及其修改均仅限一词；
2.只允许修改10处，多者（从第11处起）不计分。
I’m a high school students in China. History is one of my most favorite subjects. My friends always laugh me because they don’t understand why I’m such enthusiastic about history. They say it’s bored and it’s the useless subject. But I don’t think so. In their opinion, history taught us who we are and where we come from. I enjoy look back at points in the past and thinking about why certain decisions were making. I believe I can develop the skill of making decisions through studying history.
阅读下面材料，在空白处填入适当内容（不多于3个词）或括号内单词正确形式填空。
Digging through kids' school bags, looking up all the assignments, sitting beside them going through each item, and finally 1.(have) all the homework checked with a name signed is a 2.(day)routine for most Chinese parents, as required by teachers. A demanding task especially after a long day’s work at office, isn’t it? 3.（lucky）, some parents in Jinhua, Zhejiang Province, have been liberated. A local primary school has recently announced that parents will no longer have to sign their names on their kids' homework, as students should be responsible 4.their own assignments.
Making mistakes is 5.essential part of the process of understanding. Who cares how much you 6.(score) in your homework after you have settled down in life and found your directions? The ability to realize one's mistakes and learn from them is what matters, 7. is also the main purpose of education. Why not give students a chance 8.(find) out and correct their mistakes themselves?
It is by no 9.（mean）parents' duty to go through the kids' assignments. 10. parents are supposed to do is to create a friendly studying environment for kids, and teach them to be an independent learner. After all, independent learning is much more important than high scores.
