Maybe it's because it was our first purchase as homeowners. The salesman must have spotted just how green we were, so he began persuading. And soon he led us to a classic leather chair. All these years later, I remember he used words like rich and handsome, the thing every living room needed.
We believed him. So we bought that chair — just less than $100, a great deal in the 1970s for a young couple!
How we loved that chair! It always occupied a place of honor in our various living rooms, moving with us from our first tiny house to our beloved new house.
Somehow, conversations were better on that chair, and life was more fun around it. Three daughters spilled their secrets on it. Old friends seemed to be attracted by it on those wonderful occasions. Crazy as it sounds, that leather chair seemed to have — well, powers. All for good.
At first, we didn't really care that the leather was showing signs of wear or that it had lost its sheen (光泽). But in our most recent move, when the chair was moved in our new living room, it suddenly looked terribly lonely sitting close to newly painted walls and a couple of shiny new tables.
My husband and I tried but still we couldn't ignore the rough spots. Our chair had a skin disease. Even our adult kids raised eyebrows, urging us to at least remove the chair to some dark comer of the room. Neither of us could imagine such a retirement for it.
So we had an inspired idea. We'd call in an upholsterer (修理工) to give our old chair a whole new life. Our friend Joe studied the chair and then took out a simple leather conditioner. He explained that although it wouldn't work miracles, it would definitely get our weary chair looking younger again. It certainly doesn't look new, but its seat and back are shining, and some of its deeper wrinkles have lightened.
Best of all, it's back in the living room, looking like a wise old friend to the furniture around it. And, yes, there it will stay.
Because some things, like some people, just deserve a happy old age.
1.How did the salesman persuade the author into buying the chair?
A.By thinking highly of the author.
B.By saying that the author was green.
C.By describing how great the chair was.
D.By comparing the chair with others.
2.What is the fourth paragraph mainly about?
A.Sweet memories with the chair.
B.Various functions of the chair.
C.People's comments on the chair.
D.Family activities and parties of friends.
3.Why did the author finally decide to repair the chair?
A.Because he was persuaded by Joe.
B.Because he didn't have enough money.
C.Because it showed signs of hardness.
D.Because it couldn't match his new house.
4.What can we learn from the text?
A.East or west, home is best. B.From saving comes having.
C.It is never too late to mend. D.Old friends and wine are best.
Learning English Video Project |
1. Encounters in the UK (17 minutes) Watch Comments
Encounters in the UK is the first film in this documentary mini-series. It tells the story of four girls from different countries who travel to Cambridge in England to study English and stay with local families in what is called a “homestay” arrangement. For the four girls the homestay arrangement is a positive experience. As one of the homestay hosts explains: “It’s going to be a great experience, not only in terms of learning English, but in learning about life.” Watch with Subtitles Watch without Subtitles Comments |
2. Insights from China (18 minutes) Watch Comments
Never say die Based in the busy, cosmopolitan city of Shanghai, Daniel Emmerson’s latest film Insights from China takes us inside the worlds of English language learning and teaching and the airline industry in China. “Insights from China” focuses largely on the staff and management of a Chinese airline company that has recently committed to learning English. Spring Airlines is the first low-cost airline in China. Watch with Subtitles Watch without Subtitles Comments |
3. Stories from Morocco (16 minutes) Watch Comments
Set in Casablanca, Morocco, this film features footage and interviews focusing on key questions such as “Why are people learning English?” and “What tips and advice can learners offer?” Staff and learners discuss the advantages and challenges of English language learning in Morocco. Interviewees touch on a variety of topics including British vs. American accents, multi-level classrooms, and the similarities of English to French and Spanish. Watch with Subtitles Watch without Subtitles Comments |
4. Thoughts from Brazil (17 minutes) Watch Comments
Like Insights from China, Thoughts from Brazil also looks at modern trends in learning English, especially for children and teens. It will be of particular interest to all those who long for a learning experience that is more interactive and communicative. Teens and young adults will find new ideas for combining personal interests such as music, gaming and social media with self-study. As Daniel Emmerson talks to learners and teachers of English in Sao Paulo, Brazil, he discovers that many of them have found for themselves the principle of learning by doing and have readily adapted it to the Internet era. Watch with Subtitles Watch without Subtitles Comments |
1.From the passage we can conclude that “Learning English Video Project” is most probably______.
A.an online course focusing on language and culture
B.audio documents on language learning
C.a series of English learning video programs
D.a set of films on English-speaking countries
2.If someone is interested in the comparison between English and other languages, he might be interested to watch __________.
A.Encounters in the UK B.Stories from Morocco
C.Thoughts from Brazil D.Insights from China
3.What can we know about English learning in Sao Paulo, Brazil?
A.Classroom teaching is more interactive and communicative.
B.Homestay arrangement provides positive experience for learners.
C.The Internet and games plays a major role in language learning.
D.The principle of learning by doing is widely accepted by learners.
阅读下面材料，然后按要求写一篇150词左右的英语短文。
A set of textbooks designed to help high school students learn about traditional Chinese culture is to be published soon Beijing Times reported on Monday.
The books are the first national-level works of their kind and have been developed by a working group that promotes traditional culture. They will be used by students from autumn this year the report said.
The set contains four classics from ancient times. Two of the works Confucian Analects and Mencius are for 10 th -grade students while the other two Great Learning and Dao De Jing will be used by 11 th graders.
The initiative follows a series of steps the authorities have taken in recent years to spread and promote traditional Chinese culture on campus.
Last April the Ministry of Education released a series of guidelines requiring the inclusion of more information about traditional culture in primary and middle school textbooks especially those used for subjects such as Chinese language history art and physical education.
The guidelines said students’ knowledge of traditional culture will be tested in the senior high school entrance examination and the gaokao --- the college entrance exam.
（写作内容）
1. 用约 30 个单词写出上文概要；
2. 用约 120 个单词就”高中生学国学”这一主题发表你的观点，内容包括:
⑴ 国学入高中的缘由；
⑵ 你对这一举动的看法。
（写作要求）
1. 阐述观点或提供论据时，不能直接引用原文语句；
2. 作文中不能出现真实姓名和学校名称；
3. 不必写标题。
（评分标准）内容完整，语言规范，语篇连贯，词数适当。
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请认真阅读下列短文，并根据所读内容在文章表格中的空格里填入一个最恰当的单词。注意：请将答案写在答题纸上相应的题号的横线上。每个空格只填一个单词。
When is it time to start thinking about a new job？Is it acceptable to switch jobs to work with a close friend？Can you leave an employer after the two-week training period is up？Should you stick with the same employer for over a year, even though you aren’t learning anything new?
As with so many things in life, these are questions only you can answer. However, there are several considerations to take before you terminate your employment.
The hiring process is costly and time-intensive, and your employer has decided that you are worth the effort. This is a big responsibility and privilege. While it doesn’t mean that you have to remain at a job for the rest of your life, you should be fair enough to give the employer at least a few months of your time. Get through the training, settle into a routine, and then decide. If you still don’t like it or something better comes up, you’ll at least know you tried.
Perhaps your best friend just started at the counter of the local gym, and it sounds like fun. Maybe you found an opening for a job you’ve been wanting for years. It could just be that you’re bored and looking for something new. No matter what it is, however, make sure you take the time to weigh the pros and cons. Working with a friend might be fun for a while—until you both want the same Saturday off to go to the lake. The job of your dreams might pay less or offer fewer hours. If you’re bored, there’s a chance that another job might provide a temporary solution but not give you whatever it is you are seeking.
You’re young, and the possibilities for your future are endless. While the teen job you have now isn’t necessarily going to map out your entire life, there’s nothing wrong with making decisions that will provide you with more opportunities later on in life. If you want to be a doctor, working at the hospital gift shop might be a better choice than flipping burgers. If you want to be a chef, the reverse is true. If your current job isn’t necessarily aligned with your future, you might want to consider switching jobs.
No matter what you decide, remember that the longer you are at a job, the better it looks on your resume. An employer who sees that you switch jobs every few months might not prefer you over a candidate who was with his or her former employer for a year. For working teens, dedication and commitment always look good.
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2._________
3._________
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5._________
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7._________
8._________
9._________
10._________
To learn to think is to learn to question. Those who don't question never truly think for themselves. These are simple rules that have governed the advancement of science and human thought since the beginning of time. Advancements are made when thinkers question theories and introduce new ones. Unfortunately, it is often the great and respected thinkers who end up slowing the progress of human thought. Aristotle was a brilliant philosopher whose theories explained much of the natural world, often incorrectly. He was so esteemed by the scientific community that even 1，200 years after his death, scientists were still trying to build upon his mistakes rather than correct them!
Brilliant minds can intimidate upandcoming thinkers who are not confident of their abilities. They often believe they are inferior to the minds of giants such as Aristotle, leading many to accept current paradigms instead of questioning them.
I, like many thinkers of the past, once believed in my mental inferiority. I was certain that my parents, my teachers-adults in general-were always right. They were like a textbook to me; I didn't question what was written on those pages. I respected them, and accepted whatever they told me. But that attitude soon changed. My mind's independence was first stimulated in the classroom.
A stern, 65yearold elementaryschool science teacher once told me that light is a type of wave. I confidently went through years of school believing that light is a wave. One day，however I heard the German exchange student mention that light could be made up of particles. As the others laughed at his statement, I started to question my beliefs.
Maybe the teachers and textbooks hadn't given me the whole story. I went to the library, did some research and learned of the lightasawave versus lightasaparticle debate. I read about Einstein's discovery of the dual nature of light and learned the facts of a paradox(悖论) that puzzles the world's greatest thinkers to this day. Light behaves as both a particle and a wave, it is both at once. I realized I had gone through life accepting only half of the story as the whole truth.
Each new year brought more new facts, and I formulated even more questions. I found myself in the library after school, trying to find my own answers to gain a more complete understanding of what I thought I already knew. I discovered that my parents and teachers are incredible tools in my quest for knowledge, but they are never the final word. Even textbooks can be challenged. I learned to question my sources, I learned to be a thinker. I once believed that everything I learned at home and at school was certain, but I have now discovered to reexamine when necessary.
Questions are said to be the path to knowledge and truth, and I plan to continue questioning. How many things do we know for sure today that we will question in the future? At this moment, I know that our sun will burn for another five billion years, and I know nothing can escape the gravity of a black hole. This knowledge, however, may change in the next 20 years-maybe even in the next two. The one thing we can control now is our openness to discovery. Questions are the tools of open minds, and open minds are the key to intellectual advancement.
1.In the first paragraph, Aristotle is taken as an example to show that ______.
A.he is the greatest and respected philosopher of all time
B.huge influence of great thinkers may block human thought
C.advancements are made when thinkers question theories
D.great thinkers often make mistakes and then correct them
2.What does the underlined word “intimidate” in Paragraph 2 mean?
A.Frighten. B.Encourage. C.Strength. D.Persuade.
3.The author began to question his previous beliefs because ______.
A.what he learned from textbooks before turned out to be wrong
B.he was inspired by the different ideas from an exchange student
C.he was laughed at by other students for his unacceptable statement
D.he was not satisfied with his life and desperate to achieve success
4.According to the passage, the author ______.
A.looks down upon great thinkers all the time
B.never doubts what he has learned in the textbook
C.always throws himself into the laboratory
D.determines to be a thinker and questioner
5.We can conclude from the last paragraph that ______.
A.the author is not quite sure about his future
B.we human beings don't dare to predict future
C.theory of black holes will change in two years
D.questioning is necessary to promote advancement
6.What does the passage mainly talk about?
A.Following rules. B.Challenging yourself.
C.Questioning giants. D.Predicting future.
California has been facing droughts for many years, with certain areas even having to pump freshwater hundreds of miles to their distribution system. The problem is growing as the population of the state continues to expand. New research has found deep water reserves under the state which could help solve their drought crisis. Previous drilling of wells could only reach depths of 1,000 feet, but due to new pumping practices, water deeper than this can now be extracted (抽取). The team at Stanford investigated the aquifers (地下蓄水层) below this depth and found that reserves may be three times what was previously thought.
It is profitable to drill to depths more than 1,000 feet for oil and gas, but only recently in California has it become profitable to pump water from this depth. The aquifers range from 1,000 to 3,000 feet below the ground, which means that pumping will be expensive and there are other concerns. The biggest concern is the gradual setting down of the land surface. As the water is pumped out, the vacant space left is pressed by the weight of the earth above.
Even though pumping from these depths is expensive, it is still cheaper than desalinating (脱盐) the ocean water in the largely coastal state. Some desalination plants exist where possible, but they are costly to run and can need constant repairs. Wells are much more reliable sources of freshwater, and California is hoping that these deep wells may be the answer to their severe water shortage.
One problem with these sources is that the deep water also has a higher level of salt than shallower aquifers. This means that some water may even need to be desalinated after extraction, thus increasing the cost. Research from the study of groundwater has just been published. New estimates of the water reserves now go up to 2,700 billion cubic meters of freshwater.
1.According to the text, what causes the water crisis in California?
A.Previous drilling of wells. B.The messy distribution system.
C.Constant droughts in the area. D.The adoption of new pumping practices.
2.The research teams think it ________ to extract water from deeper aquifers.
A.expensive but practical B.reliable and profitable
C.cost-free but demanding D.cheap and environment-friendly
3.What is mentioned as a consequence of extracting water from deep underground?
A.The damage to aquifers. B.The sinking of land surface.
C.The decrease in operation costs. D.The negative effects on the climate.
4.What is the author’s purpose in writing the text?
A.To encourage people to save water.
B.To promote the seawater desalination.
C.To introduce a new way of extracting freshwater.
D.To draw people’s attention to the droughts in California.
