STRANGERS parties go wild these days. The main idea of them is to never let the people know who their matches are until the last minute. These are some popular practices that are storming the world’s youth on this V-day.
Speed dating
It’s exactly what the name implies. Complete with a timer, a whistle and 50 willing singles, speed dating is not the traditional dinner and a movie type of first date. Singles pay US $35 for three minutes with more than two dozen future dates. They ask questions and try to get to know each other. At the sound of a whistle, they do the same thing all over again―25 times in all.
Lock and key party
Women are given a lock and men are given a key, upon arriving at the party. Each key and lock has several matches. One can hunt for his/her later-to-be sweetheart in various groups, and try out the key or lock. Each time a lock and key match the pair are entered into a ballot (票数） for top prizes!
Dinner in the dark
Waiters wearing night vision glasses guide the guests through the pitch-black dining room. They are seated at the table and familiarized with the wine glass and plate. Food is handled with the fingers. People will not see the food they are eating or the guests at their table until the dessert course. At that moment, dining partners will appear.
Message party
Have A Cocktail, Leave A Message! When you arrive, you get a tag with a number and a pad of post-it notes. If you see someone you like, write a message on the message board. But wait… You’ve got a message… Go and collect it! You can make new friends and win lots of gifts. The more messages you leave on the bulletin board, the more chances you have of winning prizes.
1.What do you think the similarities of these parties are?
A. All the parties have very strict rules for their members.
B. If you want to go to any of the parties, you have to buy a ticket.
C. All the parties are aimed at strangers who want to be lovers.
D. All the parties are suitable not only for the young but for the old.
2.In which party does a participant have to be careful with the time?
A. Speed dating. B. Lock and key party.
C. Dinner in the dark. D. Message party.
3.If you go to the Dinner in the dark, ____________.
A. you have to wear night vision glasses
B. you have to eat with your hands
C. guests eat all the courses in the darkness
D. your dining partners will help you choose the food
4. How many of the parties offer gifts or prizes?
A. 1. B. 2. C. 3. D. 4.
If you want to improve your child’s results at school, you could do a lot worse than ensuring that they do plenty of exercise. Scientists have already shown that physical activity can make you brainier. But a team in America has used scans to show that an important part of the brain actually grows in children who are fit. These youngsters tend to be more intelligent and have better memories than those who are inactive.
Scientists also found that one of the most important parts of their brains was 12 percent larger than those of unfit children. They believe that encouraging children to take exercise from a very young age could help them do better at school later. Researchers from the University of Illinois, in the U.S., studied the brains of 49 children aged nine and ten using a magnetic resonance imaging scan (核磁共振摄影扫描), a technique which provides very detailed pictures of organs and tissues in the body.
They also tested the fitness levels of the children by making them run on a treadmill (跑步机). The scientists found that the hippocampus, a part of the brain responsible for memory and learning, was around 12 percent larger in the fitter children.
Professor Art Kramer, who led the study published in the journal Brain Research, said the findings had important implications for encouraging individuals to take part in sport from a young age. “We knew that experience and environmental factors and socioeconomic status all impact brain development,” he said. “If you get some terrible genes from your parents, you can’t really fix that, and it’s not easy to do something about your economic status. But here’s something that we can do something about.”
1. If you want to improve your children’s result in school, ____________.
A. it is worse to ensure that they do plenty of exercise
B. you can have their brain scanned
C. it could be better to make sure that they do a lot of exercise
D. you can do a lot except ensuring that they do exercise
2. According to the passage, which of the following statements is NOT true?
A. The fitness level of the children is linked to their intelligence.
B. Children who have a larger hippocampus will probably have better memories.
C. You can do something about the genes from your parents.
D. Unhealthy children will probably have a smaller hippocampus than others.
3.All the following factors that have some influence on one’s brain are mentioned EXCEPT ____________.
A. genetic factor B. economic status C. physical fitness D. economic development
Where do most writers get their ideas? For Yoshiko Uchida, it all began with Brownie, a five-month-old puppy. So excited was Yoshiko by Brownie’s arrival that she started keeping a journal, writing about all the wonderful things Brownie did and the progress he made.
Soon she was writing about other memorable events in her life, too, like the day her family got their first refrigerator. She also began writing stories, thanks to one of her teachers. Yoshiko wrote stories about animal characters such as Jimmy Chipmunk and Willie the Squirrel. She kept on writing, sharing the kitchen table with her mother, who wrote poems on scraps of paper and the backs of envelopes.
Yoshiko grew up in the 1930s in Berkeley, California. Her parents, both of whom had been born in Japan, provided a loving and happy home for Yoshiko and her sister. They also provided a stream of visitors to their home who later found their way into Yoshiko’s stories. One visitor who later appeared in several of Yoshiko’s stories was the bad-tempered Mr. Toga, who lived above the church that her family attended. Mr. Toga would scold anyone who displeased him. The children all feared him and loved to tell stories about how mean he was and how his false teeth rattled (咯咯响) when he talked.
Yoshiko also included in her stories some of the places she visited and the experiences she had. One of her favorite places was a farm her parents took her to one summer. The owners of the farm, showed Yoshiko and her sister how to pump water from the well and how to gather eggs in the henhouse. They fed the mules that later pulled a wagon loaded with hay while Yoshiko and the others rode in the back, staring up at the stars shining in the night sky. Yoshiko, who lived in the city, had never seen such a sight. As Yoshiko gazed up at the stars, she was filled with hope and excitement about her life. The images of that hayride stayed with her long after the summer visit ended, and she used them in several of her stories.
The experiences Yoshiko had and the parade of people who marched through her young life became a part of the world she created in over twenty books for young people, such as The Best Bad Thing and A Jar of Dreams. Because of such books, we can all share just a little bit of the world and the times in which this great writer grew up.
1.The author tells about Mr. Toga’s false teeth in Paragraph 3 in order to ____________.
A. show health care was not good enough in Berkeley during the 1930s
B. provide an interesting detail in Yoshiko’s life and stories
C. show Yoshiko’s young life was difficult and frightening
D. tell about a beloved relative who helped Yoshiko learn how to write
2.In Paragraph 4 “the stars” probably refer to ____________.
A. family relationships B. terrors in the night
C. limitless possibilities D. sacrifices to benefit others
3. What does the underlined part in the last paragraph mean?
A. Yoshiko loved to write about parades.
B. Yoshiko met many interesting people.
C. Yoshiko liked to go for long walks with others.
D. Yoshiko preferred to talk to her pets instead of to people.
4.What is the main idea of this story?
A. People who live in the city should spend as much time as they can in the country.
B. Writers like Yoshiko Uchida must communicate with as many writers as possible.
C. Those who move to the United States often miss their homelands for many years.
D. Writers like Yoshiko Uchida look to the richness of their lives for material.
阅读下面短文，从短文后各题所给的四个选项A、B、C和D中，选出空白处的最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
While Andrew was getting ready for work one Friday morning, he announced to his wife that he had finally decided to ask his boss for a salary raise. All day Andrew felt nervous. 36 Mr. Larchmont refused to 37 his request? Andrew had 38 so hard in the last 18 months. 39 , he deserved a wage increase.
The thought of walking into Larchmont’s office left Andrew weak 40 . Late in the afternoon he finally gathered the 41 to approach his superior. To his 42 and surprise, the ever-frugal (一贯节省的) Harvey Larchmont agreed to give Andrew a 43 !
Andrew arrived home that evening, 44 their dining table set with their best china, and candles lit. His wife, Tina, had prepared a delicate meal 45 his favorite dishes. Immediately he 46 someone from the office had tipped her off!
Next to his plate Andrew found a beautiful lettered 47 . It was from his wife, which read: “ 48 , my love! I knew you’d get the raise! I prepared this dinner to show just how much I love you. I’m so 49 of your accomplishments!” He read it and stopped to 50 how sensitive and caring Tina was.
After dinner, Andrew was on his way to the kitchen 51 he observed a second card had slipped out of Tina’s pocket. He picked it up. It read: “Don’t worry about not getting the raise! You do deserve one! I prepared this dinner to show you just how much I love you 52 you didn’t get the increase.”
Tears 53 in Andrew’s eyes. Total acceptance! Tina’s support for him was not 54 upon his success at work.
The fear of rejection is often softened and we can undergo almost any setback or rejection when we know someone loves us 55 our success or failure.
1.A. What about B. How come C. How about D. What if
2.A. grant B. admit C. submit D. guarantee
3.A. managed B. studied C. worked D. conducted
4.A. Finally B. Absolutely C. Successfully D. Effectively
5.A. for the weight B. at the knees C. in the heart D. for the leg
6.A. thoughts B. force C. strength D. courage
7.A. shock B. enjoyment C. delight D. amazement
8.A. praise B. award C. reward D. raise
9.A. to find B. to appreciate C. to notice D. to decorate
10.A. as B. through C. including D. for
11.A. understood B. recognized C. figured D. predicted
12.A. letter B. note C. envelope D. mail
13.A. Best wishes B. Good news C. Congratulations D. Wonderful job
14.A. cool B. admirable C. cheerful D. proud
15.A. call on B. reflect on C. feed back D. remind of
16.A. while B. before C. until D. when
17.A. as though B. even though C. whether D. unless
18.A. welled up B. flowed over C. rushed out D. streamed down
19.A. qualified B. restricted C. conditional D. concerned
20.A. despite B. without C. either D. regardless of
_______ you call me to say you’re not attending my birthday party, I’ll see you at it.
A. Whether B. Though C. Until D. Unless
Some modern teaching equipment as well as hundreds of computers _______ to ten Hope
Schools in South China.
A. were sent B. was sent C. have sent D. had been sent
