When I was a little girl, every time my dad was repairing something, he 1. ask me to hold the hammer, and meanwhile, have a conversation with me. I never saw my dad drinking or taking a night out. All he did after work was taking care of his family.
I grew up and left home for college and 2. then, my dad had been calling me every Sunday morning, no matter what. Several years later I bought a house, 3. my dad painted by himself for three days in the 80-degree summer heat. All he asked was 4. me to talk to him. But I was always busy, 5. (able) to find any time for conversation with him.
One Sunday morning we had a telephone talk as usual. I noticed that my dad had forgotten some things we discussed lately. I was in a hurry, so our conversation was short. Later that day came a call 6. (say) my father was in hospital. Immediately I bought a ticket for a flight and on my way I was thinking about all the 7. (miss) occasions to have a talk with my dad.
8. the time I got to hospital, my father had passed away. Now it was 9. who did not have time for a conversation with me. I realized 10. little I know about my dad, his deepest thoughts and dreams. After his death I learned more about him, and even more about myself.
Do you know how much your children sleep?
According to the National Sleep Foundation, should sleep twelve to eighteen hours of every twenty-four. With a gradual to twelve to fourteen hours for toddlers(初学走路的孩子) one to three; eleven to thirteen hours for three to five; and ten to eleven hours for schoolchildren five to ten.
But things get really at adolescence. Not only do teenagers need more sleep than __---eight and a half to nine and a quarter hours a night, according to the sleep foundation - but the times which they get sleepy and are able to awaken and feel rested shift in a that does not match to the times at most schools.
Sleep studies have shown that the typical teenager does not fall asleep readily before 11 p. m. or later. many have to get up by 6 a. m. or to get to school for a class starts at 7:30 or 8 a.m. More than a few off during that class, and often the one as well. Even if awake, they're in no condition to learn much of anything.
In one study, more than 90 percent of teenagers they slept less than the nine hours a night, and 10 percent said they slept less than six hours.
_ James B. Maas, a Cornell University psychologist and Leading sleep researcher, has observed, most teenagers are "walking zombies(僵尸)" they get far too little sleep.
1.A. children B. newborns C. elders D. youngsters
2.A. from B. with C. out D. up
3.A. reduction B. increase C. growth D. improvement
4.A. teenagers B. students C. babies D. preschoolers
5.A. related B. separated C. aged D. varied
6.A. demanding B. challenging C. satisfying D. encouraging
7.A. adults B. toddlers C. babies D. schoolchildren
8.A. in B. on C. at D. for
9.A. excitedly B. early C. casually D. naturally
10. A. form B. means C. method D. way
11.A. end B. start C. holiday D. examination
12.A. Since B. For C. Yet D. Then
13.A. nicer B. earlier C. cleaner D. better
14.A. that B. its C. what D. whose
15.A. put B. take C. doze D. cut
16.A. next B. other C. last D. new
17.A. examined B. surveyed C. reported D. convinced
18.A. regulated B. recommended C. analyzed D. reported
19.A. Like B. Since C. As D. Furthermore
20.A. because B. which C. while D. still
根据短文内容，从短文后的选项中选出能填入空白处的最佳选项。选项中有两项为多余选项
When you are waiting in front of a theater or at the train terminals, you will realize how important punctuality is. Punctuality is really a virtue, especially in a busy city. 1. .
Punctuality is the main constituent(构成部分)of good character. 2. On the other hand, a person who is always late shows his selfishness and thoughtlessness and he is not worthy to be friends with.
Some people often say that they cannot always be punctual since traffic is so heavy these days. 3. As everybody knows, we might meet an unexpected jam on the roads, so we should leave a bit earlier for the appointment to ensure that we would not be late.
4. . When they finally arrive, they keep on saying sorry to their friends and then explain. The excuse is not always traffic jam. Sometimes they complain that they have met a friend on the road or have helped a blind man to cross the road. Some also like to blame their watches, the clocks at home or in the office. To such people, we cannot help but say sorry that we have come too early.
Yet after all, such smart fellows will soon find that gradually their friends become fewer and fewer. Perhaps at that time, they would realize how important punctuality is.
5. . So when we are young, we should try to be punctual every time and never be late, for it is much more easily acquired in youth than when we are older.
A. To be or not to be punctual is a habit.
B. It is polite to be punctual when you are invited to a party.
C. Some people always have a lot of excuses for coming late.
D. I think traffic jam cannot be an excuse for being late.
E. In western countries, punctuality is very important in social life.
F. Perhaps if everybody were punctual, there would be less suffering and sorrow.
G. A person who is always on time for his appointment shows real consideration for others.
Today's word, pan, takes us back to the days of the gold rush in California.
On January 24th, 1848, a man named James Wilson Marshall discovered gold in California. The news spread quickly. Thousands rushed west. They traveled on foot, on horseback and by boat to reach the gold fields. By 1849, the great gold rush was on. Towns and cities grew overnight. Throughout California --- in the mountains, along the streams and rivers --- thousands of people searched for gold.
Some found areas of mountain rock thick with gold. These men got rich. But such areas were few and quickly claimed by the first men to find them. Others searched for gold in the rivers coming down the mountains. They were after pieces of gold that the rains had washed down from above .
The only way to find this gold was by panning. First a gold miner put dirt in a metal pan and added water. Then he shook the pan so that the water would wash the dirt. Slowly, he poured the water out of the pan. If he was a lucky miner, pieces of gold would remain.
Across the nation, newspapers carried stories of the gold being found. Each one hoped that the place he claimed panned out well --- had some gold.
For many, gold mining did not pan out. For a few, it panned out well. But in time, huge machines were built that could wash many tons of dirt at a time. Panning died out.
The word, however, remained in the language. Today, Americans still say, “ It panned out well ,” when something they have done pleases them. A business, a discovery, a simple event pans out well if it is successful. Unhappily, sometimes things do not pan out.
In recent years, the word pan has taken on another meaning. Today, it also means to criticize. How it got this meaning is hard to discover. But the job of a critic is to sometimes pan the work of a writer, artist or singer.
1.Why did so many people flood to California in 1848?
A. Because towns and cities there developed quickly.
B. Because the mountains in California were a great place for travel.
C. Because they wanted to get rich by looking for gold.
D. Because the land of California was fertile at that time.
2.The underlined part “It panned out well" in Paragraph 7 has the same meaning as “______”
A. Everything turned out well B. Nothing could be worse
C. It's not the case D. It's a pity
3.What is the purpose of this passage?
A. To tell us some stories about the gold rush.
B. To introduce the word "pan" in American English.
C. To teach us how to look for gold in rivers.
D. To introduce the history of the gold rush in California
Dining in a completely dark room, unaware what’s on your plate while sitting next to a complete stranger may not sound like an ideal restaurant experience but it’s certainly an intriguing way to spend a rainy night in London.
Dans le Noir, close to London’s financial district, is a restaurant full of blind waiters and waitresses who become your eyes around the restaurant, whose original Paris branch opened in 2004.
In the bar with the light, you choose whether you want the fish, meat or vegetable, but the dishes themselves remain a secret, as do the ingredients of the “surprise” cocktails. Bags, coats and devices(设备)that light up, including watches and mobile phones, are kept in the bar. Placing your hand on the shoulder of your guide, you are led to a table in a black dining room that sets up to 60 people. And it is dark.
The waiters tell you when the food is being placed down in front of you, then the fun begins, trying to get food into your mouth, then identifying just what it is that’s on your plate, and finally whether you have missed any of it.
It’s also a great chance to break social convention and eat using your fingers. Those same fingers are also the only way you can tell how much wine you’re pouring into your glass.
The happy atmosphere in the dining room also made the night memorable. You can’t really avoid talking to the person next to you at the long tables and guessing what the dishes are certainly provides adequate fuel for the conversations.
All will be revealed at the end of the meal when you are led back out into the lit bar. Not only do you finally get to see what you’ve just been eating but also who you’ ve been talking to for the last 90 minutes.
1.What does the underlined word “intriguing.” in the first paragraph mean?
A terrible B. interesting C. expensive D. new
2.According to the text, “ Dans le Noir”__________.
A is far from London’s financial district
B has its first branch opened in Britain
C is very popular among blind customers
D has a dining room which can seat up to 60 people
3.We know from the text that the customers in “Dans le Noir”_________.
A. are forbidden to eat with their fingers
B. can talk to the strangers at table
C. will book the menu in a dark bar
D. can take their mobile phones into the dining room
4.What’s the main purpose of the text?
A. To help blind people find a job in restaurants.
B. To show how to open a restaurant with a new idea.
C. To show how to enjoy the time in a dark restaurant.
D. To introduce and attract customers to “Dans le Noir ”.
Endless playing of songs like All I want for Christmas in shops during the festive season doesn’t just drive us mad —the songs also make us more careless with our money, research has warned.
While repeated performance of Jingle Bells may seem like an innocent attempt to raise customers’ spirits during the nightmare of Christmas shopping, the songs also have a more delicate impact.
“Background music, or “Muzak”,can be used by marketers to impose cultures ---such as the commercialization of Christmas--- onto consumers and influence their behaviour,” experts said.
Dr. Alan Bradshaw of Royal Holloway, University of London, said, “Festive jingles are force-fed to Christmas shoppers in a bid to change their mood, influence their sense of time and what sort of products they buy. In other words, this is an attempt to control your shopping habits in a way that you might hardly be aware of.”
“Often we are told that we have the freedom to choose where we want to shop, but during Christmas the use of music in this way is so common that our freedom to choose disappears.”
Dr. Bradshaw and Prof Morris Holbrook of Columbia University examined the phenomenon and found that retailers often “dumb down” the music played in shops to relax customers, meaning it is easier to control their behaviour.
It is thought that slowing down the rhythm of music in shops can trick customers into thinking less time has passed, and therefore spend more time examining the shelves, for example.
Some providers of background music have been known to promote their services by claiming they can boost profits by controlling the behaviour of customers.
“A common trick is to take a popular current song and record an instrumental version which can be slowed down or sped up at different time of the day to influence behaviour in different ways,” Dr. Bradshaw said.
Background music is often classed as “Muzak” in honor of the Seattle-based company which began producing its soft-sounding melodies in the 1930s.
1.According to Dr. Bradshaw, in what ways does Christmas music influence customers?
①their mood ②their income
③their sense of time ④ the sort of products they buy
A.①②③ B.①③④ C.②③④ D.①②④
2. Shopkeepers slow down the rhythm of music in shops to ___________.
A. let customers spend more time shopping
B. make customers and sales assistants relaxed
C. let customers enjoy the beautiful music
D. help customers find what they really want
3.What kind of music is now often adapted to influence customers in shops?
A. Classical music B. Popular modern songs.
C. Folk songs. D. Jazz music.
4.What is the best title of the passage?
A. Music makes happy Christmas
B. Christmas “Muzak”
C. How to make Christmas music?
D. Christmas music makes us spend more
