Few Americans stay in one place for a lifetime. We ______ from the city to the suburbs，from high school to college in a different state, from a job in one region to a better job ______, from the home where we ______ our children to the home where we plan to live in ______. With each move we are ______ making new friends, who become part of our new life.
For many of us the summer is a special time for forming new ______. Today, millions of Americans go on vocation ______, and they go not only to see new sights but also — in those places where they do not feel too ______ — with the hope of meeting new people. No one really ______ a vacation trip to produce a close friend, but the beginning of a friendship is possible. Surely in every country people ______ friendship？
The word “friend” to American people can be ______ to a wide range of relationships — to someone one has known for a few weeks in a new place, to a close business companion, to a childhood playmate, to a man or woman, to a ______ colleague. There are real ______ among these relations for Americans — a friendship may be ______, casual, situational or deep and lasting. But to a European, who sees only our surface behavior, the differences are not clear.
As Europeans see it, all kinds of “friends” flow ______ of Americans' homes with little ceremony. They may be parents of the children's friends, house guests of neighbors, members of a committee, business associates from another town or even another country. ______ as a guest into an American home, the European visitor finds no ______ differences. The atmosphere is ______. Most people, old and young, are called ______ first names. Americans’ characteristic openness to different styles of relationship makes it possible for us to find new friends abroad with whom we feel ______.
1.A. drive B. commute C. move D. settle
2.A. abroad B. elsewhere C. somewhere D. nowhere
3.A. deliver B. protect C. educate D. raise
4.A. retirement B. death C. illness D. sadness
5.A. mostly B. mainly C. rarely D. forever
6.A. championships B. friendships C. hardships D. leaderships
7.A. along B. freely C. together D. abroad
8.A. alone B. strange C. scared D. remote
9.A. allows B. desires C. expects D. imagines
10.A. form B. develop C. ignore D. value
11.A. used B. applied C. stuck D. dedicated
12.A. kind B. generous C. trusted D. helpful
13.A. differences B. varieties C. distinctions D. diversities
14.A. informal B. reliable C. shallow D. fragile
15.A. in and out B. on and on C. by and by D. up and down
16.A. Moving B. Flowing C. Going D. Coming
17.A. obvious B. heavy C. apparent D. strong
18.A. weird B. stressed C. relaxed D. strange
19.A. with B. on C. for D. by
20.A. at best B. at home C. at heart D. at hand
Tips to Be an Expert at Managing Your Time
Do you have too much to do and too little time? Of course! Actually, it's the biggest problem facing most people today. The key to becoming more efficient is the ability to set priorities (优先顺序) and focus on one task at a time. 1.
Learn from the experts.
If you want to be a big success in any area, find out what other successful people in that area are doing. 2. And do the same things until you get the same results.
Be open to new ideas.
The most foolish person of all is either the person who feels he has no time to learn about time management or, the person, who feels that he already knows all that's needed to know on the subject. 3.
Develop a plan.
Successful men and women are both effective and efficient. 4. Develop a plan, then decide what is the most important thing to do and how to do it.
5.
Start with your top tasks. Focusing on your highestvalue tasks is the starting point of getting your time under control, though small things are easier and are often more fun than the big, important things.
A.Focus on the key tasks.
B.Start from small things.
C.They do the right things in the right way.
D.But never forget to learn from their failures.
E.However, the truth is that we have much to learn.
F.Study the interviews, speeches, biographies of them.
G.Here are several ways to get organized and get started.
The Mystery of Dark Matter
If you look at the night sky, you'll often see stars moving very quickly. In fact, they move much more quickly than they should according to their size and the laws of physics. Scientists do not completely understand why the speed of these stars is so high. But many believe the reason is that much of the universe is made up of something called "dark matter". Groups of stars called galaxies, such as the Milky Way, might even consist of ninety per cent dark matter.
How much something weighs depends on where it is. The same object weighs only half as much on Mars as it does on Earth and almost three times as much on Jupiter. So scientists prefer to talk about the mass of something rather than how much it weighs, because mass does not change. They can work out the mass of galaxies by measuring the distance between them and the speed they move. Recently, Dr. Jorge Penarrubia and a team from Edinburgh University discovered something interesting. The mass of the Milky Way is only half as much as the mass of another nearby galaxy, Andromeda. This seems strange, but dark matter may explain why.
Finding out more about dark matter could help us understand how the universe began, but this is not easy. Lots of scientists with different types of expert knowledge are working on the problem. The Edinburgh team is working with many other universities like the University of British Columbia.
We can't see dark matter, it's very difficult to measure and we can't find out its mass. Unlike stars, dark matter doesn't produce or reflect light. But we can make a good guess that it is there because of the way things move and the way light bends. Experts now think dark mater may be very different from the mater which we find on Earth. There may also be five times as much dark matter in the universe as ordinary matter.
The Swiss scientist Fritz Zwicky first gave dark matter its name in the nineteen-thirties. Researchers have been looking for it ever since. Today, technology such as the Large Hadron Collider is collecting more and more information but this technology cannot tell us everything. New ways of finding dark matter will be needed. Investigating dark matter may even mean we will need to start asking questions about the way we look at the universe, including the ideas of Albert Einstein.
1.In what way do scientists find out the mass of galaxies？
A.Depending on where they are.
B.Depending on how much they weigh.
C.According to the way they move and the laws of physics.
D.By calculating how far between them and how fast they move.
2.Which of the following statements about dark matter is NOT TRUE？
A.It can't be seen.
B.It doesn't reflect light.
C.It is not unlike ordinary matter.
D.It affects the movement of things.
3.What may get researchers looking for dark matter？
A.To change the way light bends.
B.To prove the ideas of Albert Einstein.
C.To collect more and more information.
D.To help understand the origin of the universe.
4.How is the article organized？
(P: Paragraph)
A.
B.
C.
D.
5.Which heading best matches Paragraph 5?
A.It's there but we can't see it.
B.Sharing ideas leads to success.
C.We may need to change the way we think.
D.What your eyes can see can't be fully explained,
Festivals in India are the special occasions when the country holds many celebrations. Socially, the whole nation becomes active in celebrations. This is the main reason why festivals in India are celebrated by the whole society. On such occasions, families will get together, exchange gifts and greetings, and take part in a lot of celebrations and even special fairs. All these are done to keep the festive spirit alive in modern times.
What is special about these celebrations in India is that people celebrate their common culture in their communities. There is a wide variety of festivals in India because of the presence(存在)of many different religions, beliefs, ideas and cultures. It is even said that some places in the country celebrate festivals 365 days a year. They are mainly religious festivals, cultural festivals and tourist festivals that are organized to keep the traditions, values and heritage of the region.
Religious festivals are celebrated as part of the Indian belief system. They are organized to honor spiritual personalities and events related to the journey of a religion. Cultural festivals in India are organized to provide a platform for different forms of music, dance and other art. To keep their artistic traditions alive and even make them become more popular in the future, many cities in India are active in cultural events. The rich cultural heritage of India attracts the Western world during the celebration of important festivals such as Onam, Holi and Durga Puja. Tourist festivals in the country are organized to celebrate the heritage of the land for tourism purposes. These celebrations every year bring good results and attract a large number of tourists, both within the country and abroad.
These festivals in India focus on enriching people’s "Indian" experience in the most real way. For this purpose, foreigners are very interested in attending the festivals, which are organized to show the rich and colorful side of the country.
1.In India，the whole nation often celebrates festivals actively to .
A.have much fun on special occasions B.exchange special gifts and greetings
C.keep the traditions of their festivals D.meet all their family members and relatives
2.Why does India have so many festivals?
A.Because the Indians like singing and dancing.
B.Because the Indians want to attract more tourists.
C.Because there are a great number of old attractions.
D.Because there are many different religions, ideas and cultures.
3.The cultural festivals are usually celebrated by .
A.performing different art forms
B.visiting the famous old buildings
C.having a journey of honoring spiritual personalities
D.getting together and attending fairs
4.In which part of the website can we read this passage?
A.Travel. B.Culture.
C.Economy. D.Technology.
It’s 5:00 in the morning when the alarm(闹钟)rings in my ears. I roll out of bed and walk blindly through the dark into the bathroom. I turn on the light and put on my glasses. The house is still as I walk downstairs while my husband and three kids sleep peacefully. Usually I go for a long run, but today I choose my favorite exercise DVD, Insanity. Sweat pours down my face and into my eyes. My heart races as I force my body to finish each movement. As I near the end of the exercise, I feel extremely tired, but a smile is on my face. It’s not a smile because the DVD is over, but a smile of success from pushing my body to its extreme limit.
Some people enjoy shopping, smoking, food, work, or even chocolate. But I need exercise to get through each day. Some shake heads when they see me run through the town. Others get hurt when I refuse to try just one bite of their grandmother’s chocolate cake. They raise their eyebrows, surprised by my ＂no thank you＂, or by my choice to have a salad. Over the years, I have learned it’s okay to just say ＂no＂. I shouldn’t feel sorry for refusing food that I don’t want to eat.
So what drives me to roll out of bed at 5:00 a.m.? What gives me the reason to just say no to ice cream? Commitment. A commitment to change my life with a way that reduces daily anxiety, increases self-confidence and energy, extends life and above all improves my body shape. This is the point where a smile appears on my face as I look at myself in the mirror or try on my favorite pair of jeans that now fit just right. It’s through commitment and sweat that I can make a difference within myself inside and out.
1.Why is there a smile on the author’s face in the morning?
A.Because she sees her family sleeping peacefully.
B.Because she finishes her favorite exercise.
C.Because she enjoys the interesting DVD
D.Because she feels a sense of achievement.
2.Which of the following is true according to Paragraph 2?
A.She doesn’t treat others politely.
B.She likes to make others surprised.
C.Others don’t understand what she does.
D.Others try to help her by offering her food.
3.What does the underlined word ＂commitment＂ in the last paragraph mean?
A.Good health. B.Firm belief.
C.A strong power. D.A regular habit.
4.What can we learn about the author from the text?
A.She acts in a strange way.
B.She wants to look different from others.
C.She aims to develop a good body shape.
D.She has difficulty getting along with others.
Poteet Strawberry Festival
Poteet, Texas, USA
April 11—April 13
Description:
The Poteet Strawberry Festival is one of the oldest, most popular events in the state and is recognized as the largest agricultural festival in Texas as well as one of the most exciting, dynamic festivals in the Greater Southwest. The 100-acre site, which is located on Hwy. 16, 20 minutes south of San Antonio, offers free parking, clean public restrooms, handicapped accessibility, complete RV facilities, and tent covered activities during the fun, filled Festival Weekend.
The Poteet Strawberry Festival includes fourteen areas of continuous, family entertainment featuring concerts with nationally known Country Western and Tejano stars, dancers, gunslingers, clowns, puppets, regional bands, various contests, and rodeo performances. These activities are included in the price of a $10.00 admission ticket. Children aged 12 and under are admitted free of charge as well as active, reserve and retired military with proper ID.
Performers:
Craig Morgan, Pam Tillis, Rick Trevino
Location:
Poteet, Texas
Directions:
30 miles south of San Antonio on Hwy. 16
Times:
The Festival Grounds will open at 6:00 pm Fri. and at 10:00 am both Sat. & Sun.
Admission:
Adult $10.00
Children 12 & under / active, reserve, and retired military personnel with proper ID are admitted FREE
Website: http://www.strawberryfestival.com
Telephone: 830-276-3323
Email: nitaharvey@sbcglobal.net
1.Which of the following is NOT mentioned in the passage?
A.The position of Poteet Strawberry Festival.
B.The open time of Poteet Strawberry Festival.
C.The price of parking cars.
D.The price of taking a train there.
2.Jack, a soldier, together with his two children (one is 10, the other 18) wants to take part in the activity. How much should they pay?
A.10 dollars. B.5 dollars.
C.30 dollars. D.20 dollars.
3.The passage most probably comes from ____________.
A.the news report in a newspaper
B.the advertisement in a newspaper
C.the entertainment section of a magazine
D.the program of a radio
