It was a very cold Friday. When I observed the _______falling onto my car, I really began to wonder if I was going to _______ it on time. Of course I must, because I have no _______.
About two weeks ago, what my _______ Ellen had talked about was her Christmas concert to be held in her school and some rumors about it. “Mom, Rachel was _______ to sing alone, but she’s not! Linda will replace her to do it.” “Mom, you won’t believe it, _______Lexie’s whole family is coming to the concert, even from another _______!” Making a long way out of state to see third graders sing Christmas carol seemed to be a pretty big deal（待遇）for her.
When I sat in traffic, I thought about all the school _______ I had attended alone. Ellen never mentioned it, but I wonder _______ she felt about me being the only one who ever came to her events. My own family lived out of town, and her father and his family ________ quite succeeded in filling those things into their schedules. I ________ if it bothered her.
At eight o’clock the ________ was scheduled to begin. With only a few minute to ________, I found myself running: first, though the snow-drifted parking lot, then through the school passage. I entered the ________ hall and found a vacant seat near the front. From her place on stage, Ellen saw me ________ for the chair, and she smiled. I was ________ enough to hear the loud conversation of the children on stage.
“Look, Ellen, there is my uncle mad my cousin. They came all the way from West Virginia. I can’t believe my whole family is her!" Ellen ________ at Lexie and said, “My whole family is here, too! Look, there she is!” Ellen gave me a big smile. I smiled back at her, never once ________ the melting snow dripping off my head. It ________occurred to me that while we tried to teach our children all about ________, they actually taught us what life was all about.
1.A.rain B.snow C.leaves D.dust
2.A.do B.see C.make D.appreciate
3.A.choice B.idea C.chance D.time
4.A.niece B.nephew C.son D.daughter
5.A.forced B.reminded C.supposed D.persuaded
6.A.so B.but C.or D.and
7.A.state B.country C.town D.city
8.A.meetings B.exercises C.events D.exams
9.A.which B.what C.when D.how
10.A.always B.never C.occasionally D.regularly
11.A.hesitated B.ignored C.wondered D.imagined
12.A.concert B.class C.party D.competition
13.A.start B.begin C.make D.spare
14.A.huge B.empty C.crowded D.special
15.A.walk B.run C.wander D.head
16.A.close B.eager C.prepared D.happy
17.A.glared B.smiled C.glanced D.laughed
18.A.considering B.stopping C.noticing D.getting
19.A.suddenly B.eventually C.gradually D.secretly
20.A.song B.music C.school D.life
5 Things I Wish I Knew Freshman Year
During my freshman year of college, there were a few things I learned along the way that I wish I had known right from the beginning. ___________. Below is a list of 5 important things any freshman should know, from day one.
1._____2_____
It’s okay to miss your best friend forever from home, or to try to make it work long distance with your high school boyfriend. But don’t be lost in high school and leave the drama behind. Meet new people, make new friends and most importantly keep an open mind when it comes to your high school relationship. If you feel like you’re crushing on someone else, explore the opportunity!
2.Always use student discounts.
Now that you’re in college, you shouldn’t pay full price for anything you buy. Sign up for Student Card to enjoy discounts at Forever 21, Urban Outfitters, Lenovo, and many more. When you go to the library, or grab a pizza in town, always ask if the store offers a student discount. _____3_____.
3.Don’t be spellbound by your Instagram self.
___4___ And you’re hoping your high school friends are watching…, but put away your phone once in a while and enjoy the moment! Also be mindful of what you’re sharing online. Do you really want your future employer, or your 15-year-old cousin to see you shotgun a beer on Instagram?
4.Try not to skip too many 8 am classes.
If you’re going to skip your 8 am class because it is too early, pick a later class. I know what you’re thinking, “I took morning classes in high school and I was fine.” It’s not the same, try to avoid these classes.
5.Get out of your comfort zone!
___5___ Take risks things, explore your passions, meet new people and smile! Remember, if it’s not going so well at first, you have three years to find something on campus you like and if you are enjoying yourself, be sure to spend your time wisely as four years go by quicker than you could ever expect!!
A.Almost every store does
B.Start off the year doing stuff right
C.Don’t stay stuck in high school
D.You want to share with the world how cool your new life is
E.Lastly, remember, college is only four years long
F.Don’t be afraid to ask for help, as it can make a big difference
G.So instead of going through the process yourself, I think I’d make things a bit easier
Getting rid of dirt, in the opinion of most people, is a good thing However, there is nothing fixed about attitudes to dirt.
In the early 16th century, people thought that dirt on the skin was a means to block out disease, as medical opinion had it that washing off dirt with hot water could open up the skin and let ills in. A particular danger was thought to lie in public baths. By 1538, the French king had closed the bath houses in his kingdom. So did the king of England in 1546. Thus began a long time when the rich and the poor in Europe lived with dirt in a friendly way. Henry IV, king of France, was famously dirty. Upon learning that a nobleman had taken a bath, the king ordered that, to avoid the attack of disease, the nobleman should not go out.
Though the belief in the merit(优点) of dirt was long-lived, dirt has no longer been regarded as a nice neighbor ever since the 18th century. Scientifically speaking, cleaning away dirt is good to health. Clean water supply and hand washing are practical means of preventing disease. Yet, it seems that standards of cleanliness have moved beyond science since World War II. Advertisements repeatedly sell the idea: clothes need to be whiter than white, cloths ever softer, surfaces to shine. Has the hate for dirt, however, gone too far?
Attitudes to dirt still differ hugely nowadays. Many first-time parents nervously try to warn their children off touching dirt, which might be responsible for the spread of disease. On the contrary, Mary Ruebush, an American immunologist(免疫学家), encourages children to play in the dirt to build up a strong immune system. And the latter position is gaining some ground.
1.The kings of France and England in the 16th century closed bath houses because .
A. they lived healthily in a dirty environment
B. they thought bath houses were too dirty to stay in
C. they considered bathing as cause of skin disease
D. They believed disease could be spread in public baths
2.Which of the following best describes Henry IV’s attitude to bathing?
A. Curious B. Afraid C. Approving D. Uninterested
3.How does the passage mainly develop?
A. By following the order of time. B. By making comparison.
C. By providing examples D. By following the order of importance.
4.What is the author’s purpose in writing the passages?
A. To call attention to the danger of dirt.
B. To introduce the history of dirt.
C. To present the change of views on dirt.
D. To stress the role of dirt.
Online shopping has become more and more popular these years. Women have jumped ahead of men for the first time in using the Internet to do their holiday shopping, according to a study published last week in the US.
For years men have been more likely to shop on the Internet than women, but during the 2019 holiday season 59 percent of those shopping online were women.
“It shows how popular the Internet is becoming,” said Lee Rainie, director of the Pew Internet and American Life Project group, which carried out the study. Rainie said it was only a matter of time before women shoppers caught up with men. This is because women traditionally make decisions about spending.
Users were more likely to shop online to save time. Internet users between the ages 19 and 29 were responsible for some of the surprising increase in the online gift buying population this time around.
However, three-quarter of the US Internet users did not buy holiday gifts online in 2019. They worried about credit card security (信用卡安全), or just compared online prices with offline prices, then dashed off to the shops to get the best deals.
“But even if shoppers don't buy online, websites are becoming promotion (促销) tools for stores,” said Dan Hess, vice president of Com Score Network Inc. Hess said that actually most stores' websites can make customers fully believe the security of their credit card numbers. And most are able to ensure that gifts arrive on time.
“It's all about making the shopping experience more efficient (效率高的), more reliable and more comfortable.” Hess said.
1.What can we know from the passage?
A.There were fewer women online shoppers than men in 2019.
B.More women shopped online than men in 2019.
C.Most of the Internet users between the ages 19 and 29 were women.
D.People in the US were more likely to buy gifts online.
2.What does the underlined part “dashed off” probably mean?
A.Turned. B.Put off.
C.Hurried. D.Take off.
3.According to Dan Hess, shopping online is ________.
A.unsafe B.convenient
C.a waste of money D.cheaper
4.Where does the passage probably come from?
A.an introduction textbook B.a news coverage
C.an essay collection D.brochure
Like many young people, I dreamed of growing up and becoming a successful writer one day. My first part-time job came when I was 18 years old. I was working in a paint factory. Because of the terrible smell of paint, it became normal for me to temporarily pass out during my lunch time.
I discovered content mills, where a writer could devote his time to writing soul-destroying online copy. It provided a little pay, but I wouldn’t faint. So I quit my day job. But it is difficult to work from home. At times, I would lose all passion for writing 500 words about a bed for a few pounds, but the terrible smell of paint reminded me to get back to writing.
Several months later, the money got better. I was given consistent work writing for one of the largest entertainment websites in the world. The job was simple: I complained about everything that was wrong with society and they paid me£ 50 for each article. A guy from the website asked if would be interested in leaving my small town life to move to the big city of Manchester to become a professional writer for them. I accepted,
After a pretty successful year, I was offered a promotion. Just 18 months earlier, I was suffering from the smell of paint on a daily basis and now I was managing a team of nine writers. I had come a long way.
1.What happened to the writer when he was in a paint factory?
A.He became unconscious due to the bad smell of paint. B.He lost his breath during lunch time.
C.He loved his part-time job. D.He passed out for a long time.
2.Which of the following can be learned according to the text?
A.The writer quit his job to get a higher salary.
B.The writer declined to become an in - house writer.
C.The writer was in charge of a team of 9 writers now.
D.The writer fainted daily due to the bad pay.
3.Why did the writer once lose love for writing?
A.The smell of paint was unpleasant. B.He lost consciousness while writing.
C.He was given consistent work. D.He was given a little pay for writing
4.What does the writer mainly want to express?
A.A man can do no more than he can.
B.Follow dreams and never give up.
C.The last leg of a journey just marks the halfway point.
D.No pains, no gains.
Living in a culture that is different from your own can be both an exciting and challenging experience. The following are 6 cultural differences between China and the USA to help promoting mutual understanding.
Money
As is well known, the Chinese are conservative when they are planning to spend money, but far fewer American families are saving money for emergencies and education than their Chinese counterparts (对等的人)..
Privacy
Chinese people do not have the same concept of privacy as American do. They talk about topic such as ages, income or marital (婚姻的) status, which Americans think is annoying and disturbing.
Family
In China, elders are traditionally treated with great respect while young are cared for. In America, the goal of the family is to encourage independence, particularly that of the children. Unlike the Chinese, older Americans seldom live with their children.
Friends
Chinese people have different meanings to define friends. Just hanging out together time to time is not friendship. Friendship means lifelong friends who feel it deeply necessary to give each other whatever help might seem required. Americans always call people they meet friends, so the definition of friends is general and different. There are work friends, playing friends, school friends and drinking friends.
Education
Chinese people value education and career more than Americans, who in turn attach more great importance to good character and faith, which they think are of great value in their life.
________
Basically China values the community and the USA values the individual. If you achieve something in the USA, it’s because you are great. While in China, if you achieve something, it’s because the team, or family, or company is great. Everything you do gets owed to the greater whole, while in American individual achievements are celebrated.
1.What can be inferred from the passage?
A.Americans lay more stress on faith and good personality.
B.Americans think much of the individual and the community.
C.Americans are mean with money to spend while Chinese are not.
D.Americans define friendship almost the same.
2.Which of the following can best describe the last difference?
A.Achievements B.Individual
C.Team VS Individual D.Teamwork
3.What is the purpose of writing the passage?
A.To promote friendship between China and the USA.
B.To help Chinese live well in the USA.
C.To have a complete understanding of the USA.
D.To introduce the cultural differences between China and the USA
