“Everybody loves a bargain.” Is a well-known saying. One person’s useless, ugly, or broken object can be another person’s bargain. That is why so many Americans do not throw things away. They put them outside their house. They put on a "For Sale" sign. And, as simple as that, they have a yard sale.
The sellers put a paid announcement in a local newspaper. It tells when and where the yard sale will take place. These sales are very popular during weekends in spring, summer, and autumn.
Early in the morning, all the things to be sold are carried out of the house. Then they sit all day in the sunlight -- like tired guests at a party -- waiting for someone to take them home.
Just about anything can be sold at a yard sale. Sometimes, there are more clothes than anything else. Cooking equipment is also popular. So are old toys, tools, books, tables, and chairs. Then there are objects called "white elephants." A white elephant is something you think is extremely ugly or useless. It may be an electric light shaped like a fish. You feel a sharp pain whenever you look at it. To someone else, however, it might be a thing of beauty and joy.
Some people go to yard sales to find a special thing that they collect. It may be old toy trains, for example, or paintings of dogs. Experts say more Americans are collecting old things now than ever before. Most people who go to yard sales, however, are not looking for anything special. They might buy an object simply because it costs so little. They enjoy negotiating over prices, even if they really do not need the object. Later, they may hold their own yard sale to sell all the things they have bought.
1.What kind of things will go to a yard sale?
A．Cheap and ugly things． B．Things people no longer use．
C．Things out of season． D．Things of great value．
2.A white elephant refers to ______ ．
A．something that can cause n feeling of pain
B．something disliked by the owners while appreciated by others
C．something sold at the lowest price
D．a toy shaped like a fish
3.Most people go to yard sales to ______ ．
A．find Valuable paintings B．look for something special
C．find a bargain D．kill their time
4.Which of the following is NOT true about a yard sale?
A．It may not be held when the weather is very cold．
B．It can last for a whole day．
C．It is usually held with a party．
D．It is held outdoors．
5.We can infer from the last paragraph that ______ ．
A．people may find something of great value on a yard sale
B．yard sales only attract those who have a low income
C．things on a yard sale can cost people a lot
D．most people who go to yard sales want to make money
If your cellphone suddenly stops working, don’t blame the service provider．The malfunction（故障） might well have been caused by something bigger -- a solar storm．Experts expect that Earth will see more solar activity in the near future．The malfunction of electronic devices will just one of the effects．
Sunspots（太阳黑子） serve as an indicator of the sun’s activity．For the past two years, sunspots have mostly been missing．Their absence, the most prolonged in nearly 100 years, has taken even seasoned sun watchers by surprise．
When the number of sunspots drops at the end of each 11-year cycle, solar storms die down and all become much calmer. This “solar minimum” doesn’t last long. Within a year, sunspots and solar storms begin to build toward a new crescendo, the next solar maximum.
What’s special about this latest cycle is that the sun is having trouble starting the next solar cycle. The sun began to calm down in late 2007, so no one expected many sunspots in 2008. They should return in 2010. Scientists have predicted that the next solar cycle could be the most active on record: more sunspots and more solar storms. However, sunspots are mostly missing now.
Since the earth is in close contact with the sun, strong solar activities can bring trouble to our life. People of the 21st century rely on high-tech systems for the basics of daily life. Air travel and radio communications can be affected by strong solar activities. A big solar storm could cause 20 times more economic damage than Hurricane Katrina.
What the sun will do next is beyond our ability to predict. Most astronomers think that the solar cycle will go on but at low level. However, there is also evidence that the sun is losing its ability to produce sunspots. By 2015, they could be gone altogether.
1.The sun watcher feel surprised at .
A．the longest sunspots’ absence B．the largest sunspot number
C．the malfunction of electronic devices D．the serious damage by sunspots
2.What does the underlined word “crescendo” in paragraph 3 most probably mean? A．small number B．high level
C．usual cycle D．fresh start
3.We can infer that in the past two years .
A．solar activities have brought much trouble to our life
B．the number of sunspots has increased to a large extent
C．the solar minimum took the place of the solar maximum
D．our cellphones have seldom been interrupted by the solar storm
4.Which statement does the text lead you to believe?
A．Solar activities do no harm to our daily life.
B．Hurricane Katrina is also a type of solar storms.
C．It’s difficult to predict sunspots.
D．From now on there’ re no sunspots.
5.What is the passage mainly about?
A．The earth is in close contact with the sun.
B．Sunspots can cause trouble to our life.
C．Introduction of sunspots.
D．Introduction of the solar storm．
When first entered, Vanak Restaurant does not look like much of a restaurant, but once the pleasant smells of kabob（烤肉串）hit the senses, you are incapable of calling it anything else．
Owned by a local couple, this Persian restaurant has an inviting, homelike atmosphere that many restaurants lack．
The space is small with only a few dining tables and nearly no decoration, but the environment is truly charming．
Lying in a hardly noticeable street corner, the restaurant still attracts all customers, especially those experienced in the delights of Middle Eastern cooking．
A common sight is that of old Persian men sitting in the corner talking loudly about world topics, watching news events on TV, drinking a black tea known as Persian chai, and reading local Persian newspapers all the while trying to finish off their plate piled with food．
The variety of food at the restaurant is limited, but the amount of each dish is fairly large．Most of the meals can serve two people and are under $10, so not only is it affordable but practical as well．
The food especially appeals to health-conscious eaters because each dish is very healthy, made with limited fat and oil and served straight off the grill （烤肉架）．
The main dish that the restaurant is popular for is its kabobs, which are different style of grilled meat．
One delicious and extremely healthy dish is the Joojeh Kabob, which is made of grilled chicken pieces served with either rice or bread．Another great kabob is the Chelo Kabob, a kabob consisting of grilled beef．
Although the restaurant is small, the atmosphere and the food is delicious．It is a place that should not be overlooked．
1.When first entering the restaurant, one can find that it ________．
A．is splendidly decorated B．has pleasant smells of kabobs
C．is crowded with dining tables D．looks like a common restaurant
2.What activity is also mentioned apart from dining in the restaurant?
A．Watching news events on TV． B．Drinking a kind of black coffee．
C．Reading local English newspapers． D．Discussing world topics in low voices．
3.The food of the restaurant ________．
A．is served in small amounts B．is rather expensive
C．is rich in variety D．is very healthy
4.What is the dish Joojeh Kabob mainly made of?
A．Rice B．Chicken C．Bread D．Beef
5.It can be inferred from the passage that the restaurant ________．
A．occupies a large space B．owns a favorable location
C．is popular for its special food D．has a quiet environment inside
完型填空（共20小题；每小题1分，满分20分）
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，选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上涂黑。
“Never say die'' was my mother's motto．No matter how tough the life was, she always had 36 in the face of struggle and change．
My mother , born in the late 1920s, 37 no education．Her mother, whom she loved dearly , died when she was 12 years old．Her father remarried, 38 he stepmother was 39 to her．As a result, my mother was always kept busy doing ail kinds of household 40 ,varying from feeding scores of tame birds to _41 her stepbrothers "Never say die" she 42 __say to herself．
After marrying my father , she 43 my grandparents as her own parents．It was a Lime when China was faced with a severe 44 of food and my family was no 45 ．There was a 46 in my family that the best food went to the old and she was always the last to have her meal．At one time , there wasn't a grain left at home, and the whole family got into a_47 "Never say die" said my mother, as she often did in such cases- She, together with my elder sisters—one 8 years old and the other 11, went begging until the 48 picked up．My father was once 49_ to drinking．My mother, on the one hand , tried hard to 50 him to quit drinking; on the other hand, every time my father was heavily drunk; she would feed two thermos bottles of boiled water to him ,using the mouth-to-mouth way．
Poor as my family was my parents 51 to send my sisters to school, which was absolutely 52 in my home village then．Now my sisters have both retired as primary school teachers．Then my mother devoted herfelf entirely to 53 her grandchildren, among whom are now two university students, a soldier, an engineer, a bank c’erk and a civil servant.
Devoted to the family, she is deeply respected and loved by her children and grandchildren. Every year a family get-together takes place on her birthday when the whole family 54 being blessed with such a great mother. “Never say die” is a 55 gift she left for her off springs.
1.A．energy B．strength C．power D．force
2.A．received B．accepted C．gave D．took
3.A．and B．or C．but D．so
4.A．cruel B．strict C．hard D．particular
5.A．events B．incidents C．affairs D．accidents
6.A．looking after B．looking for C．looking into D．looking up
7.A．would B．could C．should D．might
8.A．considered B．regarded C．took D．treated
9.A．short B．lacking C．lack D．lacked
10.A．reception B．expectation C．explosion D．exception
11.A．tradition B．habit C．custom D．practice
12.A．trouble B．panic C．puzzle D．pain
13.A．condition B．situation C．occasion D．cii5e
14.A．addicted B．devoted C．accustomed D．used
15.A．advise B．suggest C．talk D．convince
16.A．succeeded B．managed C．tried D．attempted
17.A．uneasy B．unfit C．unusual D．universal
18.A．bringing up B．raising C．supporting D．feeding
19.A．understand B．enjoy C．imagine D．appreciate
20.A．worthless B．priceless C．endless D．penniless
He was nominated（ 提名……为侯选人）for the best actor____.
A．reward B．scholarship C．award D．result
You can't be careful enough with the dry wood ．It ___easily．
A．is lighted B．is lighting
C．will be lighting D．lights
