In modern society, living without money sounds almost impossible. However, that’s exactly what an Australian couple from a big city has been doing for nearly a whole year.
Rachel Newby, 25, and Liam Culbertson, 27, have come up with creative ways of making it through the year without spending any money. They built themselves a new house. The house was made of used wood and recycled materials. They grew their own food, and at times they didn’t hesitate to look for food in the dustbins (垃圾箱).
But this year has been quite difficult. The soil in their garden was too poor to grow vegetables. The climate (气候) there was terrible as well. They kept moving their home till they finally lived in a 2.5-square-meter house. They collected cold rainwater to take a shower. What’s worse, they had to share a toilet with the rest of the community.
Even though they had no jobs, they didn’t have a lot of free time to waste. They spent most of the day working for local farmers planting vegetables and picking fruit so that they could earn their next meal. They had five ducks that could provide them with fresh eggs. But when there wasn’t enough food for them, they had to go to look for food in the dustbins.
Not everyone is brave enough to do this. But they really made it work and they felt happy.
1.What did the Australian couple live without money for?
A. Teaching people a lesson. B. Their jobs.
C. Local farmers. D. A special experience.
2.How did the Australian couple feed themselves?
A. They sold vegetables and fruit for money.
B. They mainly depended on the food in the dustbins.
C. They tried their best to get everything necessary themselves.
D. They expected other people to give food to them.
3.What does the underlined word “hesitate” mean in Chinese?
A. 坚持 B. 犹豫 C. 决心 D. 尝试
4.How might the writer feel about the Australian couple?
A. They are a bit strange.
B. They are very brave.
C. They are young and smart.
D. They are very funny.
5.What can we infer from the passage?
A. The Australian couple hated the city life so they lived in the country.
B. The Australian couple would continue to live there for the rest of their life.
C. Nothing is impossible as long as you use your head and work hard enough.
D. More and more old people are looking forward to living in the countryside.
By November 30, 2015, the comedy Goodbye Mr. Loser had got more than 1,400 million yuan in ticket sales.
It was amazing that a film with common actors who had their first shows in the film got such great success. What’s more, the actors were all stage performers and they improved their acting skills by making this film.
The comedy tells about a common middle-aged man who has no job but problems. He seems to be a loser in life and never gets any success. He causes many jokes and is laughed at a lot. And because of his bad luck, he feels upset most of the time. Later, a sudden accident changes his life and he starts to realize how important the family is to him.
Goodbye Mr. Loser was the first movie made by Mahua FunAge(开心麻花). The film came out on September 30, 2015. Because of its great success, the film company became famous overnight.
During the seven-day holiday for National Day in 2015, the ticket sales were just behind the most popular film being shown at the same time---Lost in Hong Kong.
1.What can you see in the film Goodbye Mr. Loser ?
A. Famous actors. B. Terrible acting skills.
C. Lots of jokes. D. Many accidents.
2.What is a loser like according to the passage?
A. He has no family. B. He always loses things.
C. He has few friends. D. He never has good luck.
3.Why was the film Goodbye Mr. Loser so amazing?
A. Because it was a successful film with common actors.
B. Because it tells a common middle-aged man who is a loser.
C. Because it was the first film made by Mahua FunAge.
D. Because it was on show during the holiday for National Day in 2015.
4.Which of the following is TRUE about the film Goodbye Mr. Loser?
A. It came out at the beginning of October in 2015.
B. It was more popular than Lost in Hong Kong.
C. It describes a lucky middle-aged man successfully.
D. It brought money and fame to its film company.
5.What’s the passage mainly about?
A. A poor loser. B. A great film.
C. A famous film company. D. A film’s ticket sales.
I used to give much money to the homeless around, feeling sorry for their misfortune(不幸)．But later I became a single mom ______ no home, a huge debt (债务) and hardly any income．____, I stopped giving and became very bitter．
Several years later, things started to _____. I became rich enough to have a home, and ____a backyard. And I started to pull myself out of debt．One day we saw a homeless person with a ____ “Will work for food．” I passed him．My daughter asked why I no longer helped the people in ____．I replied, “ Honey, they just use that money for ______ or other bad things．” She didn’t answer．But when I said that, it didn’t feel right．
Three days later, I was ______ to pick up my daughter from school．A man was standing on the corner and something deep inside ______ me to help him．So I stopped my car, and he ran over with enthusiasm (热情)．He said, “God bless you, I only need 77 cents．” I reached into my ashtray(烟灰缸) and it was ____ enough that there was just 77 cents．
Greatly shocked by this coincidence (巧合), I gave him all the ______ in the ashtray．He burst out with joy and ______ in his eyes, “You just made it _____ for me to see my mom for Christmas! The bus offering this great sale is ____ right away! ” It was a moment that I’ll never forget．I think that man won’t forget it either, but I am the one who gets the best ____ in my life．It also reminds me that nothing is a coincidence, and everything has its meaning．
1.A. with B. to C. on D. without
2.A. In fact B. In a word C. As a result D. In all
3.A. develop B. turn C. show D. change
4.A. even B. still C. yet D. only
5.A. word B. expression C. sign D. letter
6.A. safety B. danger C. need D. fear
7.A. food B. wine C. medicine D. music
8.A. driving B. jogging C. walking D. cycling
9.A. prevented B. challenged C. allowed D. drove
10.A. glad B. strange C. happy D. natural
11.A. ash B. yuan C. water D. money
12.A. smile B. look C. water D. tears
13.A. necessary B. difficult C. possible D. suitable
14.A. lining B. leaving C. getting D. operating
15.A. gift B. time C. turn D. price
— Why not go fishing in the river near our house?
—____________ There are few fishes in that river.
A. That sounds really great! B. How about going with us?
C. I don’t think it’s a good idea. D. Thanks for your good suggestion.
— Do you know when the light rail S7 ____________?
— Next year. Traveling to Nanjing will take much less time when it __________.
A. will complete; complete B. will be completed; is completed
C. will be completed; will be completed D. is completed; will be completed
— Excuse me, does it _______ if I forget to bring my VIP card here?
— I’m afraid the card is necessary if you want to get in.
A. care B. mind C. matter D. worry
