Husband: Honey, what are you doing with your nose in the newspaper all afternoon? Is it that 1. (interest)?
Wife: I have no interest in the news reports, but the apartment ads. Don’t you think we should get a larger apartment 2. our present one?
Husband: This apartment is fine. It’s big enough for us.
Wife: 3. is obvious that this apartment is too small. We 4. (live) here since we got married. We need a change.
Husband: I’d rather stay here. I love this old place. 5. , we don’t need all that extra room.
Wife: Yes, we do. We need 6. extra bedroom. Then it’ll be more comfortable for our baby.
Husband: Our baby? Are we having a baby?
Wife: Yeah, we are going to have a baby. I have been waiting for the right moment to surprise you with the news.
Husband: This is a huge surprise! I’m so happy 7. I can hardly believe it! But where will we get enough money 8. (buy) a larger apartment?
Wife: Don’t worry. I think we can afford a more expensive apartment. Look, you got a raise last month. And my salary will 9. (certain) help.
Husband: Well, yes, good point. I guess we should look at a few apartments. It’s time we 10. (move).
Last Christmas while staying with my parents, I across some old love letters that my parents wrote to each other. These letters were all pilled up in a basket, dirty and With dust. to read and sort them, I asked them if I could take the letters back to my Illinois home. They agreed.
As I carefully opened each letter, all of them delicate with age, I discovered a new page unknown to me in this private chapter of my parents’ lives.
My father used to in the army. So his letters were full of frontline of the things about the war. Each of my mother’s letters was marked her 1944 dark red lipstick kiss. I was to these letters like a magnet (磁铁).
Just six weeks after our Christmas visit, Daddy became very . and was hospitalized. This time, he was fighting a kind of war. As I sat by his bedside, we discussed the . He told me how much receiving those lipstick-kissed letters had to him when he had been so far from home.
It so happened that the next day would he February 14. From the letters I chose the card my father had sent Mother in 1944 and brought it to my father’s bedside.
At his bedside, I joked with him, saying , “Today is Valentine’s Day, don’t you want to send Mother a present?” He became more when I handed him the old . He carefully opened it and took out the card, and when he it, his eyes were filled with tears.
My father, in a voice tight with read the loving he’d sent to my mother fifty-six years earlier. And this time, he could read it to her .
1.A. came B. hit C. drew D. fell
2.A. hidden B. covered C. buried D.filled
3.A. Pretending B. Suggesting C. Preferring D.Deciding
4.A. recently B. occasionally C. previously D. usually
5.A. work B. study C. serve D. report
6.A. accounts B. documents C. introductions D. occupations
7.A. with B. for C. of D. as
8.A. devoted B. abandoned C. thrown D. drawn
9.A. depressed B. dead C. dangerous D. ill
10.A. typical B. traditional C. different D. familiar
11.A. wars B. illnesses C. letters D. prescriptions
12.A. meant B. intended C. planned D. said
13.A. divided B. sorted C. separated D. updated
14.A. sadly B. angrily C. softly D. loudly
15.A. curious B. enthusiastic C. fantastic D. positive
16.A. Christmas card B. envelope C. basket D. lipstick
17.A. found B. wrote C. recognized D. missed
18.A. astonishment B. sorrow C. sickness D. emotion
19.A. story B. message C. speech D. motto
20.A. in brief B. in private C. in danger D. in person
The tradition of birthday parties started in Europe a long time ago. It was feared that evil spirits were particularly attracted to people on their birthdays. 1. Giving gifts brought even more good cheer to keep away from the evil spirits. This is how birthday parties began.
The following are some countries’ birthday traditions:
Canada —Greasing the nose with butter. In Atlantic Canada, the birthday child’s nose is greased for good luck.
China — 2. .The birthday child pays respect to his/her parents and receives a gift of money. Friends and relatives are invited to lunch and noodles are served to wish the birthday child a long life.
England —Fortune telling cakes. Certain symbolic objects are mixed into the birthday cake as it is being prepared. 3.
Italy —Pulling ears. The child’s ears are pulled as many times as how old they are turning.
Japan —New clothes. The birthday child wears entirely new clothes mark the occasion.
New Zealand— 4. .After the birthday cake is lit, the happy birthday song is sung loudly and often out of tune and then the birthday person receives a clap for each year they have been alive and then one for good luck．
The United States —Cake, candles and song. 5.
A. A cake is made, and candles are put on top based on how old the person is.
B. In China, on a child’s second birthday, family members put many things on the floor around the child.
C. If your piece of cake has a coin in it, then you will be rich.
D. To protect them from harm, friends and family would come to stay with the birthday person and bring good thoughts and wishes.
E. Noodles for lunch.
F. The tradition of birthday parties started a long time ago.
G. Birthday claps.
Many songs, poems, and books have been written on love’s strong effect on people. The state of being in love has even been compared to being sick or mad. A study by Professor Semir Zeki of University College London has found that love does affect people’s brains by making them feel great.
Zeki studied young men and women who had recently fallen in love. He found that, when they were looking at photos of their loved ones, there was heightened activity in four areas of their brains. These areas deal with emotions, and one of them, in particular, is known to respond to drugs that cause feelings of great joy and excitement.
Interestingly, the study also found a lack of activity in two other areas of the brain when the volunteers looked at their lovers’ photographs. One of these areas is linked to feelings of sadness, while the other is often active in people suffering from depression. It seems love really can be uplifting.
The state of being in love, according to some scientists, may actually be good for your health. Although scientists know that being in love can make a person feel great, the exact influence of love on a person’s health is harder to determine. However, scientists say that people do need love in order to live healthy lives.
According to Dr. Thomas Lewis, people need to be in relationships because that is how we are designed. He says the brain can only maintain(保持) the overall stability of a person’s immune(免疫) system, bodily rhythms, and heart if it receives input(输入) from outside the body in the form of emotional connections with others.
Professor Antonio Damasio has a similar view. He says that love enriches a person’s imagination and creativity, and makes a person’s body work better. He also believes that love can even improve the body’s ability to fight against disease. Damasio’s wise words of advice are “ Choose love and you will live longer.”
1.The main idea of this passage is __________.
A. love can really cause people active
B. love has effect on songs and books
C. love is linked with emotion
D. love is what we need
2.What does the underlined word “uplifting” mean? It means __________.
A. inspiring B. available C. cold D. mad
3.From the passage we know__________.
A. People write songs, poems and books to say love is the sweetest thing
B. nobody but Professor Semir Zeki has found love does affect people’s brains
C. being in love sometimes may make someone act as if he/ she were mad
D. love causes heightened activity in all areas of a person’s brains
4.Which of the following statements is not true?
A. Some scientists have the idea that love does good to people.
B. It is possible for scientists to decide how much influence love can give people.
C. People are born to be in need of getting on touch with each other.
D. A person’s health depends on partly on emotional connections with others.
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1.Many Americans fail to lose weight probably because _______ .
A. they lack confidence
B. they do exercise alone
C. they are under great pressure
D. they don’t get enough exercise
2.From the text, we can learn that if you join the gym, _______ .
A. you’ll lose weight safely but slowly
B. you’ll struggle with workout routines
C. you’ll be advised to pay attention to nutrition
D. you’ll be advised to have nothing in between workouts
3.How much do a couple have to pay if they join the gym today?
A. $800. B. $500. C. $900. D. $1,000.
4.This text is most probably taken from a ________ .
A. newspaper B. magazine
C. website D. textbook
No matter how well you understand a foreign language, misunderstanding still exists between native speakers and you. Here is such an example.
Three young Frenchmen were travelling in Britain. Though they had taken a few English lessons before their holiday, they were often in trouble because of their misunderstanding of English. One day they talked about their misfortunes (不幸) together.
The first Frenchman said, “I once heard someone shout ‘Look out’, I put my head out of a window and a bucket (一桶) of water fell on me.”
The second Frenchman said, “I was once in a ship and heard the captain shouted, ‘All hands on decks (甲板)’ I put my hands on the deck and someone walked on them.”
The third Frenchman said, “I once called early on an English friend and the maid (女佣) who came to the door said, ‘He’s not up yet’ When I went again for him, she said, ‘He’s not down yet’. I said, ‘If he’s not up and he’s not down, where is he?’ She said, ‘He’s still upstairs now. When I told you he was not up I meant he had not got up yet, so he has not come downstairs by now’ ”
1.Which of the following would be the best title for the passage?
A. Misunderstanding of English
B. Three Young Frenchmen
C. Misfortunes of Three Frenchmen
D. A Few English Lessons
2.When someone is calling “look out” to you，he probably wants you to ______.
A. put your head out of the window B. go away
C. receive a bucket of water D. be careful
3.The sentence “All hands on decks” may mean ______.
A. you should put your hands on the deck
B. everyone should get ready
C. someone walks over one’s hands
D. someone is making fun of a foreigner
