What makes a gift special? Is it the price you see on the gift receipt? Or is it the look on the recipient's face when they receive it that determines the true value? What gift is worth the most?
This Christmas I was debating what to give my father. My dad is a hard person to buy for because he never wants anything. I pulled out my phone to read a text message from my mom saying that we were leaving for Christmas shopping for him when I came across a message on my phone that I had locked. The message was from my father. My eyes fell on a photo of a flower taken in Wyoming. and underneath a poem by William Blake. The flower, a lone dandelion standing against the bright blue sky, inspired me. My dad had been reciting those words to me since I was a kid. That may even be the reason why I love writing. I decided that those words would be my gift to my father.
I called back. I told my mom to go without me and that I already created my gift. I sent the photo of the cream-colored flower to my computer and typed the poem on top of it. As I was arranging the details another poem came to mind. The poem was written by Edgar Allan Poe; my dad recited it as much as he did the other. I typed that out as well and searched online for a background to the words of it. The poem was focused around dreaming, and after searching I found the perfect picture. The image was painted with blues and greens and purples, twisting together to create the theme and wonder of a dream. As I watched both poems passing through the printer, the white paper coloring with words that shaped my childhood. I felt that this was a gift that my father would truly appreciate.
Christmas soon arrived. The minute I saw the look on my dad's face as he unwrapped those swirling black letters carefully placed in a cheap frame, I knew I had given the perfect gift.
1.The idea for a special gift began to form when the author was______.
A．doing shopping B．having a debate
C．reading a message D．leaving for Wyoming
2.The author's inspiration for the gift came from_____.
A．a photo of a flower B．a story about a kid
C．a call from the mother D．a text about Christmas
3.The underlined word "it" in Paragraph 3 refers to a poem by_____.
A．the father B．the author
C．William Blake D．Edgar Allan Poe
4.What is the main purpose of the passage?
A．To show how to design images for gifts.
B．To suggest making gifts from one's heart.
C．To explain how computers help create gifts.
D．To describe the gifts the author has receive
Women love shoes! They will sometimes go to look for the perfect pair of shoes to wear only once with the perfect outfit or the fashion of the day. Once worn, these fashionable designer shoes may spend weeks, months, or years in the closet without being worn again until another special occasion comes up. With that said, are expensive designer shoes really worth their cost?
Historically, shoes were invented to free feet from sharp rocks, hot sands, and blisters. Shoes were made to be simple and functional, with tough leather soles and straps. As society became more sophisticated (复杂的), the role of shoes changed; shoes were made to add status to the wearer.
Shoe designers began to work on the production of fashion shoes for the wealthy; shoes meant more for show than for practical use or simplicity. Good shoemakers became well known and printed symbols on their shoes, so people could recognize the maker of that particular design. Designer shoes were thus born.
Many women develop serious problems with their feet after wearing these designer shoes during the workday and the medical costs for dealing with these problems can get very high. Some popular makers of designer shoes have been working towards combining comfort and practical use into their shoes, but it has been noted that women still go for style, beauty and uniqueness above everything else.
So to answer the question as to whether or not designer shoes are worth the cost, the answer is certainly yes, but be smart and invest in a pair of comfortable, not so stylish shoes for the days when you stay outdoors for hours! They can also be very expensive, but I can surely say that they are worth the cost.
1.When shoes were first made, their main use was to _________.
A．increase the wearer’s image
B．protect the wearer from discomfort
C．make the wearer more noticeable
D．show the simplicity of life
2.From the passage, we can learn that __________.
A．women like to wear designer shoes only during the workday
B．designer shoes are more practical and beautiful than common shoes
C．shoemakers won fame for their shoes’ prices
D．shoemakers printed symbols on their shoes for being recognized
3.Designer shoes will remain on the market because they ________.
A．make a lot of money for shoemakers
B．meet women’s demand for being special
C．will become increasingly comfortable
D．offer the wearer a chance to show off their wealth
4.In this passage, the author wants to .
A．explain why expensive designer shoes are worth the money
B．talk about the necessity of owning comfortable shoes
C．warn women of the danger of wearing designer shoes
D．talk about the history and development of shoes
There was a gardener who looked after his garden with great care. To water his flowers, he used two buckers. One was a shiny and new bucket. The other was a very old and dilapidated one, which had seen many years of service, but was now past its best.
Every morning, the gardener would fill up the two buckets. Then he would carry them along the path, one on each side, to the flowerbeds. The new bucket was very proud of itself. It could carry a full bucket of water without a single drop spilled . The old bucket felt very ashamed because of its holes: before it reached the flowerbeds, much water had leaked along the path.
Sometimes the new bucket would say, “See how capable I am! How good it is that the gardener has me to water the flowers every day! I don't know why he still bothers with you. What a waste of space you are!”
And all that the old bucket could say was, “I know I’m not very useful, but I can only do my best. I’m happy that the gardener still finds a little bit of use in me, at least.”
One day, the gardener heard that kind or conversation. After watering the flowers as usual, he said, “You both have done your work very well. Now I am going to carry you back. I want you to look carefully along the path.”
Then the two buckets did so. All along the path, they noticed, on the side where the new bucket was carried, there was just bare earth; on the other side where the old bucket was carried, there was a joyous row of wild flowers, leading all the way to the garden.
1.What does the underlined word “dilapidated” probably mean?
A．Dirty B．Dark C．Worn-out D．Plain-looking.
2.What was the old bucket ashamed of?
A．His past. B．His aging. C．His manner. D．His leaking.
3.The new bucket made conversations with the old one mainly to
A．laugh at the old one
B．take pity on the old one
C．show off its beautiful looks
D．praise the gardener’s kindness
4.Why was the old bucket still kept by the gardener?
A．Because it was used to keep a balance
B．Because it stayed in its best condition
C．Because it was taken as a treasure
D．Because it had its own function
完形填空
My husband Jack hated Christmas. He didn’t hate the true meaning of ___16___, but the commercial aspects of it. Knowing he felt this ______17___, I decided one year to___18___the usual shirts, sweaters, ties and so on. I reached for something _____19__just for Jack. The idea came in an unusual way.
Our son Kevin, who was 12 that year, was______20______at the junior level at the school he attended and shortly before Christmas, there was a non-league match____21_____a team sponsored by a church.
These youngsters from the church, dressed in shoes so_______22_____that shoestrings seemed to be the only thing holding them together,____23______our son’s team were in their beautiful new wrestling shoes.
As the match began, I was_____24_____to see that the other team was wrestling without a helmet designed to____25_____a wrestler’s head. They clearly could not_____26_____ them. Well, our son’s team ended up defeating them and took every weight class. But as the other team ______27_____up from the mat, they walked around with a sense of pride that couldn’t admit______28______.
Jack, seated beside me, shook his head_____29_____, “I wish just one of them could have won,” he said. “They have a lot of potential, but______30_____like this could take the heart right out of them.” Jack loved_____31_____and he knew them, having coached little league football, baseball. That’s when the ____32______for his present came. That afternoon, I went to a local sporting goods store and _____33______some wrestling helmets and shoes and sent them to the church.
On Christmas Eve, I placed the envelope on the tree, the note inside telling Jack what I had done and that this was his_______34_____from me. His smile was the_______35______ thing about Christmas that year.
1. A．the gift B．an envelope C．the wrestling D．Christmas
2. A．way B．joy C．music D．fear
3. A．buy B．wear C．avoid D．give
4. A．beautiful B．expensive C．new D．special
5. A．wrestling B．weightlifting C．shooting D．boxing
6. A．at B．against C．for D．on
7. A．big B．small C．worn D．cheap
8. A．because B．if C．while D．so
9. A．frightened B．disappointed C．pleased D．surprised
10. A．cover B．surround C．hide D．protect
11. A．carry B．afford C．design D．expect
12. A．dressed B．got C．turned D．cheered
13. A．defeat B．evidence C．charge D．mistake
14. A．gently B．sadly C．nervously D．gladly
15. A．running B．winning C．losing D．shaking
16. A．workmates B．parents C．friends D．kids
17. A．invitation B．care C．idea D．money
18. A．return B．sold C．bought D．left
19. A．gift B．warning C．praise D．love
20. A．brightest B．funniest C．ugliest D．darkest
I wish you hadn’t given him my telephone number, but you .
A．did B．had C．do D．have
You may use the room as you like you clean it up afterwards.
A．so far as B．so long as C．in case D．even if
