Valentine’s Day, for many couples, means cards, flowers, and candlelight dinners. For most couples it also means withdrawing money at the ATM to express their love. Fortunately, there are ways to save money by saving energy — even during the date — so you can spend the money you save on the things that really matter to your sweetheart. Here are five easy tips for those couples out there who want to save energy and save money:
A fireplace is always a perfect background to set up holiday decorations because of the space it provides, in addition to the grand role it plays in the house as being an important part of each room. If you plan on spending your Valentine’s Day near the fireplace, be sure to prevent the heat loss and make sure of the chimney efficiency. If you never use your fireplace, plug and seal the chimney flue.
If you plan on having a nice, romantic dinner at home and want to set the mood with proper lighting, use energy efficient light bulbs that save you money, and look for bulbs that are lower in lumens. Lumens tell you the brightness of the bulb. The lower the lumens, the weaker the light.
For those who plan to cook that romantic dinner, there are some simple energy efficient ways you can prepare that meal. For example, did you know that if you’re baking in a china or glass dish, you can typically set your oven for 25 degrees less than the recipe calls for? Learn more about saving energy while cooking.
For those couples who would like to have a movie night, plug your TV and DVD into an electronic power strip to save money on your gas of the car. By plugging in electronic devices into a power strip and turning it off when not in use, you can save up to $100 per year.
If you plan on going on a romantic “escape” from your house by car, be sure to check out these tips to reduce fuel consumption and costs.
1.How do most people spend their Valentine’s Day according to the passage?
A. They make green trips by riding bikes or walking dogs.
B. They go to visit their parents or grandparents together.
C. They stay at home making delicious food for lovers.
D. They spend money creating romantic environment.
2.What does the author advise you to do when you use a fireplace that night?
A. Try to burn less wood by covering the chimney.
B. Try to use more wood to produce more heat.
C. Try to hold more heat by using it effectively.
D. Try to make the room wetter than usual.
3.What does the author advise you to do if you choose to have dinner at home?
A. Choose the bulbs without lumens.
B. Choose the bulbs with lower lumens.
C. Choose the small bulbs with higher lumens.
D. Choose the colorful bulbs as many as possible.
4.How should you cook meals according to the author?
A. Adjust electricity amount according to different dishes.
B. Set the oven for 25 degrees higher than required.
C. Try to cook all kinds of food with a china dish.
D. Try to bake some cakes in a glass dish.
5.What is the greenest way for you to see a film on Valentine’s Day?
A. Just watch a DVD at home. B. Just see the film in the running car.
C. Go to the nearest theatre by bike. D. “Escape” from your house by car.
A pair of giant pandas from southwest China’s Sichuan Province arrived at their new home in Belgium’s Pairi Daiza zoo, some 60km southwest of downtown Brussels, at around 15:00 local time (1400GMT) on February 23, 2014.
About 2,500 people, many of them excited children waving national flags of China and Belgium as well as panda-decorated flags or wearing costume of Panda greeted the pandas along the road to the zoo.
Visitors today can only observe the pandas through a closed-circuit television system in the reception.
Officials said they wanted the pandas fully adapted to their new home before making public debut in April.
The pandas, Xing Hui, the male and Hao Hao, the female, are both 4 years old and are on lease from a breeding center in southwest China’s Sichuan Province.
The lease term is 15 years, according to officials with the China Conservation and Research Center for Giant Pandas, the world’s largest research base for the species.
“It’s a good thing for Belgium.” Nicole Duflot, a grandmother coming to the zoo with her husband and her grandson told Xinhua, “We can’t see the Panda today but it’s a great thing for us to come here.”
The Pandas will be living in a panda hall of 5,300 square meters within the zoo.
“I hope Xing Hui and Hao Hao will enhance friendship between Belgium and China.” Liao Liqiang, the Chinese ambassador to Belgium, said during an interview with Xinhua.
1.What was the main purpose of China leasing pandas to Belgium?
A. We were supposed to make money from Belgium.
B. We meant to improve the relationship between China and Belgium.
C. We expected to amuse the Belgian children.
D. We wanted to make the pandas adapt to the environment abroad.
2.The underlined word “debut” probably means ___________.
A. first appearance B. ceremony C. announcement D. argument
3.According to the passage, which statement is right?
A. Xing Hui and Hao Hao will live in the city centre of Brussels.
B. Xing Hui and Hao Hao were very popular with the elders in Belgium.
C. Xing Hui and Hao Hao will come back to China in 2029.
D. Xing Hui and Hao Hao were born in 2008 in Sichuan Province.
4.On the first day of the pandas’ arrival, visitors could ___________.
A. gently feel the pandas along the road to the zoo
B. get into the panda hall of 5,300 square meters
C. take pictures with the pandas freely
D. watch the pandas through the TV system in the zoo
5.From the passage, we can predict that______________.
A. Belgium’s Pairi Daiza Zoo will make much money soon
B. Xing Hui and Hao Hao will be very well treated in their new home
C. Belgium’s Pairi Daiza Zoo will serve the Chinese visitors with free admission
D. pandas will be best-sellers in Belgium
Have you ever heard the saying “If you want a friend, be one”?
Here is how a new teacher made friends with the girls and boys in her class on the first day of school. As the bell rang, the teacher smiled at each girl and boy. Then she said in a quiet voice, “Good morning. How nice it is to have all of you in my class this year. I'd like to know each of you. I am sure we will enjoy working together.” Everyone felt that she meant what she said because of her sweet voice and her friendly look.
She told the girls and boys her name and wrote it on the blackboard. Then she told them some of the things she liked to do and she was hoping to do with them during the year.
Then she said to the class, “Now you know my name and the things I like and I want to know your names and the things you like. Then I will feel that I know you.”
Could you make friends by doing the same as this teacher did?
One way of getting to know girls and boys in your class is to find out more about them. It is often easy to be friends with those people who have the same hobbies with you. You play the same games and go on journeys together.
You may find that some new comers in your class miss their old friends and feel strange and lonely. You can invite them to take a walk or to ride bikes with you. You will find many things in common to talk about. Just talking together in a friendly manner is one good way to make friends.
1.What does the underlined sentence “If you want a friend, be one” in Paragraph 1 mean?
A. You may have a friend by doing everything for him.
B. You can make friends by doing what a friend should do.
C. If you want to have a friend, try to make one be your friend.
D. When you need a friend, you have to be a friend of yourself.
2.The teacher’s sweet voice and her friendly look _______.
A. made every girl and boy happy
B. told the girls and boys everything about herself
C. showed that she would like to be a friend of the girls and boys’
D. meant she wanted to tell the boys and girls something interesting
3.A new comer will be your friend if __________.
A. he always thinks of his old friends
B. you ask him to do something
C. he knows you
D. you talk with him in a friendly way
4. If you want to make friends with others, which of the following shouldn’t you do?
A. Learn more about them. B. Go on journeys together.
C. Find out your differences. D. Try to be the same as them.
5.What is the best title for this passage?
A. How to Make Friends
B. Teachers Can Make Friends with Students
C. A Friend in Need Is a Friend Indeed
D. How to Be Friends with New Comers
When I was a small boy my family was very poor. My father always used his savings to my mother to visit her parents who lived far away. There was just my younger brother and myself in the house. One evening Dad came home from and there was no food in the house, not a piece of bread. Although we were , my brother and I went to bed without eating anything.
My father had no money, but I knew from the on his face that he could not let us have an empty stomach. He the house and about two hours later returned and quickly us up. He had in his hand two small potato pies, which he gave us to eat. I don't know where he got the but somehow he to get us something to eat.
My father had not eaten and had worked all day he sat there with great satisfaction watching us eat. This has stayed in my mind and left more of an impression than any amount of he may ever have given me.
At that moment, I felt happy knowing that he was there and would not let us .
I guess the I am trying to make is that in difficult times it is not to show weakness but strength and character. If a is the cement (粘合剂) that holds a family together, then the father is that strengthens that cement.
It is his values and and memories that have carried me forward and helped me to my own problems in life. In my own I have learned that it is the valuable time you spend with your children and the values you give to them that will remain with them always.
1.A. force B. encourage C. send D. teach
2.A. hospital B. work C. school D. shop
3.A. quite B. just C. only D. even
4.A. nervous B. hungry C. sleepy D. busy
5.A. worry B. pleasure C. disappointment D. surprise
6.A. cleaned B. observed C. left D. searched
7.A. brought B. put C. called D. woke
8.A. chance B. food C. support D. recipe
9.A. managed B. decided C. agreed D. waited
10.A. so B. or C. but D. and
11.A. normally B. always C. shortly D. softly
12.A. cost B. time C. salary D. money
13.A. suffer B. know C. leave D. cry
14.A. decision B. promise C. point D. apology
15.A. strange B. important C. difficult D. common
16.A. father B. brother C. sister D. mother
17.A. something B. anything C. everything D. nothing
18.A. words B. records C. actions D. failures
19.A. work out B. carry out C. run into D. look into
20.A. opinion B. home C. order D. turn
Xinxin, a 12-year-old student from Beijing, enjoyed his winter vacation with his father in Singapore. During their visit, he even had the chance to some of Singapore's sights by himself his father was busy with other things.
Xinxin’s first adventure in Singapore was at a water park near their hotel. He enjoyed swimming and into the water by himself, and then returned to the hotel before a time in the evening that was by his father.
The boy also made a trip to Universal Studios Singapore a guardian. He had already been to the park with his father two times during the trip. Xinxin volunteered to make his trip by himself. His father gave him some pocket money to buy lunch, and then Xinxin rode the shuttle from their hotel to the studios. He spent a whole day there and had a time.
In an interview with Beijing Evening News, Xinxin’s father said that he was too busy to spend all his time with his son, he decided to give him the opportunity to develop a sense of . Had Xinxin’s mother been there, she would not have let Xinxin out of her sight, the father commented.
1.A. study B. explore C. test D. measure
2.A. while B. until C. before D. unless
3.A. along B. alive C. alone D. lonely
4.A. floating B. surfing C. driving D. diving
5.A. made B. set C. decided D. asked
6.A. under B. behind C. with D. without
7.A. first B. second C. third D. fourth
8.A.terrible B.miserable C. fantastic D. flexible
9.A. though B. since C. if D. when
10.A. independence B. daring C. pride D. diligence
Son: I cheated in the exam and was caught by my teacher on the spot.
Father: _______!
A. For shame B. Cheer up C. It’s a pity D. Sorry to hear that
