Unlike Chinese people, the ones in the West believe in star signs. Western world has a complete system(系统) of star signs, and they explain them and use them to tell a person’s characteristics and the things they like or dislike. There are a cycle of 12 of them in all. All of them are decided by the date instead of the year of your birth and each of them has its own characteristics.
Sagittarius (射手座) is one of them. Now, let’s take it as an example:
Sagittarius (November 23—December 21)
Sagittarius in short
Sagittarius are fun, loving, generous and very friendly. They seldom tell lies; in fact they’re so open about everything, They have surprising intuitions(直觉) that they should pay attention to. They are pretty clever because they are so interested in everything. They can be a bit rude, that’s only because they’re very honest and will say exactly what they think. They love travelling, fast cars and horse riding. They also love spending money.
More about Sagittarius
Sagittarius are great friends because they are interested in everything and everyone. They are attracted by even the strangest people. With their humour, they are often in a good mood. They can be hurtful to others because they cannot stop speaking what they see as the truth, but they don’t mean to. Money is not their God. Their values are spiritual(精神的) rather than material.
They are hard-working. They are very open-minded about new ideas and love to try ideas out. Usually it does end up working because they have an excellent intuition and can usually tell straight away if an idea is a good one or a bad one. One of their weaknesses is not asking enough money for all the hard work they do, because they love doing it.
1.Whose star sign is Sagittarius?
A. Miss Yao who was born on Mar 18, 1978.
B. Peter, a boy who was born on Nov 22, 1998.
C. Mr. Zhou who was born on Dec 23, 1976.
D. Lucy, a girl who was born on Nov 30, 1991.
2.Which is WRONG about Sagittarians?
A. Sagittarians often tell lies.
B. Sagittarians can be rude.
C. Sagittarians show great interest in strange things and people.
D. Sagittarians can end up working by using their good intuition.
3.What can we know from the underlined sentence “Money is not their God”?
A. Sagittarians care too much about money.
B. Sagittarians believe that money is from the God.
C. Sagittarians hate God.
D. Sagittarians pay no attention to money.
Why do you think people who live in some hot countries eat very spicy(辛辣的)food? Is it because the spices make the food taste better? Is it just because their parents and grandparents and great-grandparents liked hot food，or is there some connection between spices and healthy food? Researchers from Cornell University think that it is because spice plants have some important chemicals. These chemicals can kill bacteria(细菌)which spoil food．
“Most common spices can kill 75 to 100 percent of the bacteria in food，”explains one of the scientists．The bacteria grow more easily and spoil(变质)food more quickly at higher temperatures．For this reason，it is more difficult to keep food from spoiling in hot climates,
Do you like your food spicy? Your answer probably tells something about the country you come from．If you like spicy food，it is possible that hundreds of years ago，when there were no fridges，people in your country started using spices to keep the food from spoiling．The traditional spicy dishes helped those people to live longer，healthier lives．Today，in a time of fridges，the spices just make the food taste good．
1.The chemicals in spices keep food from spoiling by_________．
A．making food taste better
B．making food hotter
C．preventing bacteria getting into food
D．killing bacteria in food
2.Food goes bad more quickly in hot climates because_______．
A．cold temperature makes bacteria
B．bacteria get used to hot food
C．high temperature helps bacteria grow faster
D．bacteria spoil food only at high temperature
3.According to the passage，spices are useful in the following things except_____．
A．helping you to live longer
B．helping to keep you healthier
C．making your food taste better
D．taking the place of fridges
Every year on my birthday, from the time I turned 12,a white gardenia（栀子花）was sent to my house. No card came with it．Calls to the flower shops were not helpful at all. After a while I stopped trying to discover the sender's name and was just very pleased with the beautiful white flower in soft pink paper.
But I never stopped imagining who the giver might be, Some of my happiest moments were spent daydreaming about the sender. My mother encouraged this imagining. She'd ask me if there was someone for whom I had done a special kindness. Perhaps it was the old man who I looked after when he was ill. As a girl, I had more fun imagining that it might be a boy.
One month before my graduation, my father died. I felt very sad and didn't want to go to the coming graduation dance at all. And I didn't care whether I had a new dress or not. But my mother, in her own sadness, would not let me miss any of those things. She wanted her children to feel loved and lovable. In truth, my mother wanted her children to see themselves much like the gardenia-lovely, strong and perfect with perhaps a bit of mystery.
My mother died ten days after I was married. I was 22. That was the year the gardenia stopped coming.
1.Which statement is true according to the passage?
A. The author found the sender by calling the flower shops.
B. In fact, the flower was sent by a boy.
C. It was a pleasant moment for the girl to imagine the sender.
D. The author got a gardenia every year after she was married.
2.The mother let her daughter go to the graduation dance because_______.
A. She hoped she would miss her father.
B. She thought education was most important.
C. She hoped she would find a friend.
D. She wanted her to be happy and strong.
3.Which of the following would be the best title for the passage?
A. A Childhood Dream. B. A Mother's Love.
C. A Graduation Party. D. A Special Birthday.
完形填空 先通读下面的短文，掌握其大意，然后在每小题所给的四个选项中，选出可以填入空白处的最佳选项。
Tina was the best speed-walking partner I could ever meet. But I could never understand my friend's habit of ________ while we walked.
Together we walked all over the town and even entered a marathon(马拉松）together，a full 26 miles, but she did give me a list to take with me. She told me that it ________ her a lot. I thought it would just slow us down. I ________ it along to the starting line. Twenty-six cheering ideas, one for every mile. I wasn’t really planning to slow myself down with all those ideas but I didn’t want to hurt Tina’s feelings, so I kept her ________ .
I walked the first mile of the ________ in 12 minutes—a new personal record. I looked at Tina’s cheering list when I checked my watch. ________ was simply Yourself. It did give me a good start to the race, I thought. I thanked Tina for her cheering list. If I finished the race, I would thank her for the ________ she gave me. By the time I finished the second mile, my husband and kids were cheering me on. It just so happened that “ ________ ” was the next one on Tina’s cheering list. I had lots of things to be ready for them.
The next mile flew by, then the next and the next, each with a cheering idea. But by the time I neared the final mile? I was nearly out of breath. “I don’t know if I can ________ the last mile,” I thought. In despair(绝望）I looked at the final cheering idea on Tina’s list，now sweaty in my hand: You just can make it!
I finished the marathon in less than six hours. I thought the cheering list would slow me down. ______________, it carried me past the finishing line.
1.A. cheering B. smiling C. shouting D. chatting
2.A. taught B. saved C. calmed D. helped
3.A. hid B. gave C. moved D. carried
4.A. promise B. list C. word D. idea
5.A. round B. circle C.race D. road
6.A. At the back B. At the top C. In the beginning D. In the past
7.A. task B. strength C. thought D. way
8.A. Team B. House C. Family D. Home
9.A. have B. gain C. finish D. put
10.A. Besides B. Instead C. Later D. Again
— It’s really kind of you to care for my pet dog while I was away for the whole year.
— _______. The dog is loyal. We’ve been close friends.
A. With pleasure B. Never mind
C. Don’t mention it D. It doesn’t matter
Pronunciation should _______ when we read these new words.
A. be paid attention B. be paid attention to
C. pay attention D. pay attention to
