It was the wedding anniversary and Rose was waiting for her husband to show up. After some years of marriage, things ____ between them. Once a cute couple who couldn’t live without each other now had turned a bit ____ .
They were now fighting over every little thing, but they both didn’t like changes came into their ____ . Wife was waiting to see if Bryan remembered that it was their wedding ____ . As the door bell rang she ran toward the door and opened it with a ____ and a bunch of flowers to greet her husband . ____ started to celebrate. They wanted to make up for fights. They prepared champagne and light music to celebrate.
____the phone in the bedroom rang.
Rose went to ____ it up. On the call there was a man who said, “Hello ma’am, I am calling from the ____ station. Is this Mr. Bryan Currie’s number?”
She replied, “Yes it is!”
“I am sorry ma’am, ____ there has been an accident and a man died. We got this number from his ____ . Can you please come and identify the body?” the man said.
Rose was ____ !! “But my husband is with me here!!”, she replied.
“ The incident ____ this afternoon while he was getting off a bus.” the man replied. Rose was about to ____ her consciousness. “How could this happen?”, She thought to herself.
She had read stories about souls returning to meet their loved ones after their death before they leave. Her heart ____ . In fear she ran towards another room to look for her husband. But he was not there.
She said to herself “It’s true!! He left me forever. Oh God, I can die to have another chance to mend for every ____ we had. I lost my chance forever.” She fell on the floor ____ . All of a sudden there was a noise from the bathroom. The door opened and Bryan came out and said, “Darling, I ____ to tell you today my wallet was stolen.”
Life might not give you a second chance. Never waste any moment while you still have a chance. ____ people and relations in life. Have a wonderful life with no ____ . Because we know no one has promised tomorrow. Live today and enjoy every moment of life.
1.A.changed B.turned C.exchanged D.transformed
2.A.sweeter B.bitter C.better D.greater
3.A.divorce B.work C.hope D.marriage
4.A.party B.church C.congratulations D.anniversary
5.A.surprise B.tear C.smile D.fear
6.A.All B.Both C.None D.Either
7.A.Suddenly B.Occasionally C.Finally D.Eventually
8.A.hold B.put C.pick D.keep
9.A.bus B.police C.train D.TV
10.A.but B.however C.though D.so
11.A.bag B.clothes C.wallet D.body
12.A.delighted B.shocked C.satisfied D.concerned
13.A.broke down B.broke out C.left out D.took place
14.A.lose B.gain C.lack D.attract
15.A.sank B.suspected C.blamed D.ran
16.A.loss B.merry C.fight D.failure
17.A.in vain B.in pain C.in difficulty D.in place
18.A.promised B.forgot C.remembered D.forgave
19.A.Enjoy B.Demand C.Delight D.Value
20.A.regrets B.pains C.fears D.wonders
The traditional Chinese lunar calendar divides the year into 24 solar terms(节气). Major Snow, the 21st solar term of the year, begins this year on December 7 and ends on December 22. During Major Snow, the snow becomes heavy and begins to accumulate on the ground. The temperature drops significantly.1. .
●Snowy winter
2. . The natural scenery is “ice blockading for hundreds miles and snow flying through thousands miles”. In the South, the snowflakes fly and the world turns white. About the snow, a proverb goes, “A timely snow promises a good harvest”. As the snow covers the ground, pests living through the winter will be killed by the low temperature.
●3.
Wintersweet(腊梅花)usually blossoms in mid-to-late December in some southern cities of China. Sometimes it even blooms earlier. Wintersweet originated in China and is highly appreciated in Chinese culture for its endurance in severe winters. With pine and bamboo, it is referred to as one of the Three Friends of Winter.
●Eating lamb
Lamb is the main food chosen by Chinese people during Major Snow.4.. People in Chongqing like to have potted lamb soup or stewed(炖)lamb soup with their families and friends. Nanjing residents like to stew the lamb with yams or wolfberries to make it more nutritious.
●Preventing respiratory (呼吸系统) illness
The Chinese people during this period pay attention to the outbreak of respiratory illness, which can be prevented by wearing a warm scarf to protect the neck and drinking water properly. During Major Snow, it is drier and colder, so people should drink more water.5..
A.Appreciating wintersweet
B.Blooming wintersweet
C.Here are several things you should know about Major Snow
D.At the same time, don’t drink cold water after exercise
E.But one should drink too much water at once
F.The snow in North China may last a whole day, breaking tree branches and blocking the road
G.It is excellent for nourishing the body, promoting blood circulation and providing protection against the cold.
When it comes to losing weight, many individuals know that the correct amount of exercise paired with healthy eating is the way to go. However, this doesn’t stop individuals from employing other small strategies into their routines to help the weight come off faster. The cold water technique uses the understanding that our metabolic (新陈代谢) rate will need to be increased in order to warm up the water we have consumed.
In 2003, a German research team chose to study fourteen participants and found that when they consumed ice water, they were able to increase their caloric consumption. According to the study, this consumption was increased by about 30% for over an hour, resulting in a 100 calorie burn per day with two liters of cold water. Now two liters of cold water a day is quite a lot to consume but for 100 calories burned a day, that’s a pretty major benefit considering how much exercise it takes just to burn 100-200 calories off. Unfortunately, later on, it was found that the way the study measured caloric consumption was flawed(有缺陷的) and that there wasn’t actually a 30% rise in metabolic rate but rather a very small statistical rise in calories spent.
Your body will work to bring any cold water that you consume up to the internal temperature through your metabolic system. It’s like when you place an ice cube into a warm drink, the drink will use up the energy to melt down the ice cube. Your body will use up the energy to heat that water up to match the environment within your body.
Drinking ice cold water should not replace healthy eating or exercise, but it can be used to help you burn away some extra calories.
1.When it comes to losing weight, some individuals will .
A.think exercise is the best way to lose weight
B.think we should only have healthy eating
C.use some small strategies to help them
D.first think of drinking cold water
2.What can be learned about the studies mentioned in the passage?
A.The cold water can sharply increase the caloric consumption.
B.It turned out that the former study was not entirely correct.
C.Two liters of ice water can burn 30% calories.
D.The cold water can replace exercise.
3.The author holds the belief in this passage that .
A.drinking cold water can help people lose weight in a way
B.healthy eating needn’t be combined with exercise
C.people should drink more cold water to keep healthy
D.the study is unbelievable
4.From which is the text probably taken?
A.Sports news B.A fashion magazine
C.A chemistry textbook D.A science magazine
US enrollment(入学注册)of international students declined for the second year in a row, sending waves of unease across American colleges and universities, which see students from abroad as a buffer (缓冲) against the falling number of US high-school students graduating each year.
The number of new international students enrolling at American institutions fell by 6.6% during the 2017-18 academic year, while a 3.3% decline the year before, according to a report by the Institute of International Education (IIE). The total number of international students in the US plus those working here on a student visa rose by just 1.5% this year. That was down from average annual growth of 6.1% over the past decade. Several factors are driving the decrease. Visa and immigration policy changes by the Trump administration have prevented some international students from enrolling, college administrators and immigration analysts said. A strong dollar has made US college tuition relatively more expensive, Canadian and European universities are competing fiercely for the same students, and headlines about mass shootings also may have prevented some students, said Allan Goodman, president of IIE.
Foreign students are big business. They pumped $42 billion into US college and university coffers (金库) in the 2017-18 school year alone.
1.The US government is expecting for more International students because _________.
A.they need gifted students from all over the world
B.the population in the US is growing older and older
C.they can compete with the universities from all over the world
D.fewer US high-school students graduate each year
2.The number of new international students enrolling at American institutions fell by_____ during 2016-17 academic year.
A.6.6% B.3.3%
C.1.5% D.6.1%
3.The decrease of the US enrollment of international students lay in several factors Except that .
A.the immigration policy has been changed
B.the expense of studying in America is high now
C.there were too many reports about gun shooting
D.the big mountain fire frightened the students away
4.What is the best title for this passage?
A.US sees fewer international students
B.America’s new policies
C.Fewer Chinese students study in the US
D.More money will go into the US
If you’ve never heard of eight-year-old Gavin Thomas, you clearly aren’t one of the millions of people around the world who have fallen in love with the young internet sensation (网红) .
But it isn’t in his native United States that Gavin has really hit the big time, the honor belongs to China. Since creating a profile a mere four months ago on Weibo, Gavin has gained an astonishing 1.8 million followers - and the number continues to grow, along with his fame. On Twitter, by comparison, Gavin has a mere 450,000 followers.
Why is a young American, born in Minnesota and still in elementary school, an instant sensation in the largest country in the world? It’s because of Gavin’s unique facial expressions, which have become a hugely successful viral meme (模仿传递行为) . Gavin first made a name for himself in the US, when short videos of him playing with his uncle Nick Mastodon quickly became a hit online. But it wasn’t until Gavin’s videos spread gradually to the Chinese cyberspace, particularly one of his reacting with a nervous smile to a gecko (壁虎) being placed on his head, that his fame truly took off. A picture of Gavin’s face, smiling awkwardly, might be used as many as 10 million times a day across China’s various social media platforms, according to Ann Ding, founder and CEO of Dongtu.com, a major distributor of online gifts, told CNN. Ding said Gavin seemed to be more popular in China than in the US. She estimated that all of the total number of Gavin related pictures used across platforms in China has easily exceeded 1 billion. His appearance on Weibo was widely reported by Chinese state media, and his first trip to China in August made headlines across the country.
1.Where is Gavin more popular?
A.In the USA. B.In the Europe.
C.All over the world. D.In China.
2.Gavin Thomas has so many followers because of his ________.
A.unique facial expressions B.great contribution to China
C.coming to China D.his appearance with his uncle
3.The underlined word “exceeded” in the last paragraph means________.
A.enlarged B.strengthened
C.surpassed D.finished
4.Which of the following statements is true?
A.He has never come to China but well-known here.
B.He earned followers not only from the USA but also from China.
C.He became famous when reacting to a gecko placed on his head.
D.Gavin now works in major Chinese social media platforms.
100-Word-Story Competition 2018
Our annual short-story competition is back for its eighth year. As ever, we look forward to reading yours!
The Rules
Please make sure that stories are new, not previously published and exactly 100 words long (not including the title). We may use entries in all print and electronic media.
Entry is open only to people living in the UK. It is not open to employees of Reader’s Digest and all others associated with this competition, their immediate families and relatives living in an employee’s household.
Terms and Conditions
There are three categories-one for adults and two for schools: one for children aged 12-18 and one for children under 12.
In the adults category, the winner will receive￡1,000 and two runners-up will each receive￡250. In the 12-18s and under-12s categories, the winners will each receive a Fire HD 8 Tablet and a selection of STAEDTLER products worth￡50, plus two STAEDTLER classpacks of pencils for their school. The two runners-up in both categories will each receive a Kindle E-Reader.
Please submit your stories by 5 pm on February 19.
The editorial team will pick a shortlist of entries, which this year will be published by our partner nicereading.com. Winners of the categories will have an opportunity to write a longer version of their stories for inclusion in the book.
The three best stories in each category will be posted on-line at readersdigest.co.uk on February 27. You can vote for your favourite, and the one with the most votes wins the top prize. Voting will close at 5 pm on March 19 and the winning list will be published in our June issue (六月刊) .
1.Who is allowed to take part in the story competition?
A.A British man of 20. B.A staff of Reader’s Digest.
C.One of the organizers. D.A brother of the staff.
2.Which of the following will be awarded to the runner-up in the adults category?
A.A Fire HD 8 Tablet. B.A Kindle E-Reader.
C.￡50. D.￡250.
3.Where will the three best stories in each category will be posted?
A.On TV. B.In a magazine.
C.On a website. D.In a book.
