The two-week vacation at the end of summer school ended yesterday. Kevin had gone nowhere during his vacation. He had the money, but he hated to travel alone. He used to take vacations with Gary, his youngest brother, but they had a big argument at the end of their last vacation. Each of them had spent the last three years waiting for the other to apologize.
Kevin did not feel good about being on non-speaking terms with his favorite brother. But he was not going to ask for forgiveness when, in his mind, this whole misunderstanding was his brother’s fault.
So Kevin’s summer vacation was spent in his own “back yard.” As usual, he had planned to clean up his apartment. As usual, two weeks later his apartment looked just as it had two weeks before.
He did do one thing new and different during his vacation. There was a new coffee shop on Foothill Street. It served 25 varieties of delicious coffee at reasonable prices, and the staff was genuinely friendly. The shop was air-conditioned at a slightly chilly temperature. About eight small round tables were inside. Outside were four bigger tables. Each had four white metal chairs around it, and several big umbrellas provided shade. Even on hot afternoons, there was usually a pleasant breeze.
Kevin visited the coffee shop four times during his vacation. He always sat at a table outside by himself and read the free daily paper. Each day he was there, he read most of the newspaper articles while he enjoyed two cups of coffee.
Between articles, he took breaks by watching the nearby traffic and pedestrians. The coffee shop was next to a huge parking lot. The lot was for customers of a grocery store, movie rental store, pharmacy, bank, and restaurant. Kevin considered his outdoor seat the perfect place for one of his favorite activities—people watching.
The coffee shop, with its excellent location and coffee, had helped make his vacation a pleasant one. But he knew in his heart, had his brother been there to join him just one day, his vacation would have been a perfect one.
1. Why didn’t Kevin go anywhere during his vacation？
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A．Because he was short of money. |
B．Because he didn’t like traveling. |
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C．Because he had no company. |
D．Because he had to clean up his apartment. |
2. What did Kevin do in his vacation?
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A．He cleaned up his apartment. |
B．He had a big argument with Gary. |
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C．He worked in a parking lot. |
D．He stayed at home most of the time. |
3. Which of the following is NOT mentioned about the coffee house?
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A．It served delicious coffee of different flavors. |
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B．It had an effective air-conditioning system. |
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C．It was often crowded with local customers. |
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D．It provided free newspapers for customers. |
Directions: For each blank in the following passage there are four words or phrases marked A, B, C and D. Fill in each blank with the word or phrase that best fits the context.
Who buy the presents? How much should we spend? Questions about money like these ___50___ during the holidays, and they can turn this wonderful season into the most ___51___ time of the year.
The ___52___ cause of holiday stress is money issues, according to a recent poll by the American Psychological Association (APA). The survey found that 61 percent of Americans ___53___ lack of money as the top cause of family tensions, holiday blues and depression.
“People believe that they can go out and buy gifts because it’s the holidays, ___54___they can’t afford to do so,” says Dorothy Cantor, a noted psychologist and former APA president. “Not only is it stressful to feel that you have to buy everyone an expensive gift, but you will also be stressed for the rest of the year trying to pay your ___55___. You can show love and caring by giving something that you know is meaningful and ___56___ that doesn’t have to cost a lot.”
While managing money issues during the holiday season can be a ___57___, financial experts agree that you can ___58___ pressure by planning ahead, exhibiting patience and managing expectations to make the holiday season enjoyable and worry-free.
For starters, make an agreement with family members to discuss holiday spending and finances before you make any ___59___. The goal here is to learn one another’s thoughts and feelings about priorities and wishes. Be realistic, decide together on a budget and only use cash, rather than using credit cards. Avoid getting ___60___ unreasonable expectations. It makes no ___61___ to buy gifts you can not afford and put additional financial and emotional stress on yourself and your family that will cause problems long after the holidays are over.
Other ways to ___62___ the burden of money-related holiday blues include an understanding that everyone faces money problems at one time or another. It’s important to keep your ___63___ situation in perspective, to learn from experience and then to proceed with your life.
And lastly, make focusing on financial solutions a part of your New Year’s resolution. It’s the perfect time to take a __64___ approach by doing some soul-searching, forgiving yourself, letting go of the past and dealing with your financial problems in a businesslike manner each day.
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1. |
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2. |
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3.
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A．immediate |
B．social |
C．hidden |
D．leading |
4.
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A．listed |
B．felt |
C．resisted |
D．charged |
5.
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A．as if |
B．even if |
C．as long as |
D．if only |
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6. |
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7.A. resistant B. random C. personal D profitable
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8. |
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9. |
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10. |
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11. |
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12.
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A．efforts |
B．revenge |
C．desire |
D．sense |
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13. |
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14.
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A．inadequate |
B．financial |
C．internal |
D．private |
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15. |
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Directions: Complete the following passage by using the words in the box. Each word can only be used once. Note that there is one word more than you need.
Some people with autism(孤独症) have __1.___ experts with their outstanding memories, mathematical skills or musical talent. Now scientists have found that the genes thought to cause autism may also confer(给予) mathematical, musical and other skills on people without the condition.
The finding has _2.___ from a study of autism among 378 Cambridge University students, which found the condition was up to seven times more common among mathematicians than students in other fields.
If __3.__, it could explain why autism － a ___4.___that makes it hard to communicate with, and relate to, others ─ continues to exist in all types of society. It suggests the genes responsible are usually ___5.__, causing the disease only if present in the wrong combinations. “Our understanding of autism is undergoing a ___6.__,” said Professor Simon Baron-Cohen, director of the autism research centre at Cambridge, who led the study.
“It seems clear that genes play a significant role in the causes of autism and that those genes are also ___7.__ to certain intellectual skills.”
Scientists have long been interested by the apparent ___8.__ between autism and intellectual gifts in specific fields. This has made autism a hot topic in popular culture, from films such as Rain Man, which starred Dustin Hoffman and Tom Cruise, to books such as The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime.
Temple Grandin, 61, was diagnosed（诊断） with autism as a child and is now professor of animal sciences at Colorado State University. She said: “People with autism have played a vital role in human evolution and culture. Scientists such as Isaac Newton and Albert Einstein show every __9.___ of having been autistic. The world owes a great deal to those who design and programme computers, many of whom show autistic traits.”
_______ you think graffiti (涂鸦) is mindless vandalism(破坏行为) against property or a living art form, its popularity suggests that it is here to stay.
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A．Although |
B．No matter |
C．Whether |
D．Suppose |
---Come on, let’s go for a drink.
---Sorry. With so many problems _____ my mind, I can’t take a break.
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A．filled |
B．filling |
C．to fill |
D．being filled |
A Belgian French-language daily has issued _______ is thought to be Europe's first 3D newspaper —complete with cardboard viewing glasses.
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A．what |
B．where |
C．that |
D．which |
