It began with a red paper clip and ended with a house. Kyle MacDonald, a 26-year-old Canadian, got a three-bedroom house through 14 trades (交换) that started with a single red paper clip.
Encouraged by Kyle’s successful experience, now more and more young people around the world are starting their own trading activities. They set up websites where people can trade things they don’t usually use with other people. A website called Peerflix allows people to trade their used DVDs. These traders usually prefer face-to-face trading, which means they don’t have to worry about who is going to pay for the delivery (递送).
Last year, a young girl in Beijing decided to follow the example of Kyle. She started with a paper clip and hoped to get a house in the end. After several trades she now has a piano which is more than 10,000 yuan. But she may still have a long way to go.
You may be puzzled about why people are doing this. In fact, everyone in the trade activities gets things that are useful to them. Just as Kyle said, “What’s more important to a man dying of thirst in the desert — one million dollars or a glass of water?” Kyle’s words probably show why these trades are poplar among young people.
4. Where can people trade things they do not usually use according to the passage?
A. On the Internet. B. In Beijing. C. In Canada. D. In the desert.
5. Why are trading activities popular among young people?
A. Because they can make a lot of money by trading with other people.
B. Because the traders can get things that are useful to them.
C. Because young people love trading activities.
D. Because many young people want to get a house.
6. Which of the following statements is true according to the passage?
A. If you begin with a paper clip, you will finally get a house by trading.
B. A young girl in Beijing got a house through trading.
C. A glass of water is more important than one million dollars.
D. Many traders like face-to-face trading because they don’t have to pay for the delivery.
David came from a poor family. When he finished his high school, however, he was given a wonderful present. “Some of my friends got new clothes and a rich boy even got a new car,” he remembered, “My dad reached into his trousers pocket and took something out. I held out my hand, and his present dropped into it — a nickel (五分镍币).”
Dad said to me, “Buy a newspaper with that. Read every word of it. Then turn to the classified section (分类栏目) and get yourself a job. Get into the world. It’s all yours now.” I always thought that was a great joke my father had played on me until a few years later when I was in the army, sitting in a foxhole (战壕), and thinking about my family and my life. It was then that I realized that my friends had got only new cars, or only new clothes. My father had given me the whole world. What a great present!
1. When David left school, he received ______ as a present.
A. a new car B. new clothes C. a newspaper D. hardly anything
2. What did David become a few years later?
A. A college student. B. A rich person. C. A soldier. D. A newspaper reporter.
3. The title of the passage may be ______.
A. How to be a Soldier B. How to find a Job C. A Great Joke D. A Great Present
The bullet (子弹头) train D106 from Changsha to Shanghai has a short stop in Quzhou for only one minute.
Named 21 the letter D, the new trains run at speeds of 200 to 250 kilometers one hour. This is much 22 than Z-type and T-type trains. For example, it 23 take people 12 hours to travel from Shanghai to Beijing. But now it only 24 10. The most interesting part of the bullet trains is the revolving (旋转的) seats. People can adjust (调整) their seats as they like, so that it is 25 for you to talk with others around you face to face. The new trains run 26 big cities. They 27 the long trips much faster and more comfortable.
However, many passengers still won’t choose the bullet trains 28 some reasons. The ticket
29 of the bullet trains are much higher. For example, a hard seat ticket from Beijing to Jinan is only 90 yuan for T-type trains. But on the bullet trains all the seats are 30 . And they cost 153 to 184 yuan. On the other hand, the bullet trains don’t stop at small stations.
1.A. with B. begin C. at D. after
2.A. fast B. faster C. quickly D. slower
3.A. would B. will C. used to D. was used to
4.A. cost B. takes C. need D. spends
5.A. difficult B. hard C. easily D. easy
6.A. between B. among C. along D. around
7. A. get B. let C. make D. allow
8.A. because B. for C. since D. with
9. A. prices B. speeds C. costs D. seats
10.A. hard B. big C. expensive D. soft
The colours of his clothes are different from__________of yours．
A．one B．ones C．that D．those
The tourists are__________by the_________scenes of China．
A．amazed amazed B．amazing amazing
C．amazing amazed D．amazed amazing
This computer is old, but it is ______ to me because it was a present from my dearest grandpa.
A. great important B. of little importance
C. of very important D. of great importance
