In the early 1980s, one of our neighbors asked my mom if she would make a few gift baskets for her to give as gifts for the holidays. My mom agreed and news of the unique gift baskets my mum was making spread like wildfire throughout the neighborhood. My mum was busy throughout the holiday season, so she asked a friend to help her. When the orders continued after the holiday season for baby gifts, birthday gifts and more, it occurred to them that maybe this job could be turned into a business and they did it.
My mum went into her business because she had a creative idea. She got orders and filled orders. But there was no purpose and no real strategy(策略). In 1991, my mum' s partner got into financial trouble and there was not enough money to support either my mum or her partner.
So if you are led by your creativity or enthusiasm, make sure you ask yourself what you want out of your business. If you don't set goals, how will you know what direction to go in? Do you want to create jobs and growth in the economy? Are you looking for a hobby? You can't keep scores if you don' t know what game you are playing.
After my mom's partner gave up, she had to abandon(抛弃) her business to support herself. She swore（发誓）she would run a business again and do it differently the next time. However, there wasn't a "next time" for her. She passed away just after her 51st birthday. She never had someone tell her how important having a goal was. She never had an opportunity to be everything that she could be.
There are no right or wrong goals, only the ones that matter to you. Set them so that you can make progress and achieve success, whatever that may mean to you.
1.The author's mum started her own business after she ________.
A. got continuous orders with her friend
B. cooperated with one of her neighbors
C. advertised her products in the neighborhood
D. designed unique gift baskets for the holidays
2.Which of the following can best describe the author' s mum?
A. Ambitious.B. Imaginative.C. Poor.D. Innocent(天真的).
3.After the author' s mum failed in her business, she _________.
A. hoped to restart it after her 51st birthday
B. wanted to find a different partner
C. reflected on her failure
D. didn' t work any more
4.The author writes the text to stress the importance of _________.
A. creativityB. opportunitiesC. goalsD. partners
Put your car keys away and forget about your travel pass — it's time to do a bit of walking.
National Walking Month is organized every May by Living Streets, an organization that campaigns for the rights and the needs of pedestrians — indeed, the organization was previously known as the Pedestrians' Association. The association's aim is to make streets safe, attractive and enjoyable spaces for people to live, work, shop and play. By putting people (rather than vehicles) first, Living Streets wants to create streets and spaces where people feel happier, healthier and more sociable.
The annual campaign gives participants a great opportunity to experience the many virtues（优点）of walking. These include the physical health benefits of becoming fitter; the environmental advantages of not using vehicles（车辆）; the joy of local discoveries seeing more of your local area on foot; the enjoyment of walking with other people, whether family, friends or work colleagues and finally the stress relief that comes from walking—walking can clear your head.
Walk to School Week, 19 to 24 May, is part of the month's activities and its aim is to encourage parents to send children to school on foot, rather than take them in the car or let them use public transport. The movement was started in 1995 with only five participating schools and now two decades later, more than one million children take part.
Similarly, there is Walk to Work Week, 12 to 16 May, where grown-ups are encouraged to walk. In the morning, getting off the bus a stop early or parking a few streets away is a good way to add more steps to the daily total. And during the working day, rather than having lunch at the desks or in the canteen, take a walk and get some fresh air. Walk home with your workmates and chat away about everything under the sun but work!
1.Living Streets is working to ________.
A. help people living in the street
B. build safer walkways for pedestrians
C. help people walk in the street and enjoy life
D. make people aware of environmental pollution
2.Paragraph 3 is intended to show that walking is ________.
A. so interestingB. very relaxing
C. perfectly safeD. highly beneficial
3.Walk to School Week ________.
A. is organized by the government
B. is held before Walk to Work Week
C. has developed rapidly over the last 20 years
D. encourages students to walk to school alone
4.What's the text mainly about?
A. The Pedestrians' Association.
B. A nationwide health movement.
C. The influence of walking on life.
D. National Walking Month’s history.
There are two types of people in the world. Although they have equal degree of health and wealth and other comforts of life, one becomes happy, the other becomes unhappy. This arises from the different ways in which they consider things, persons, events and the resulting effects upon their minds.
People who are to be happy fix their attention on the convenience of things. The pleasant parts of conversation, the well prepared dishes, the goodness of the wine, the fine weather. They enjoy all the cheerful things. Those who are to be unhappy think and speak only of the opposite things. Therefore, they are continually dissatisfied. By their remarks, they sour the pleasure of society, offend (hurt) many people, and make themselves disagreeable everywhere. If this turn of mind was founded in nature, such unhappy persons would be the more to be pitied. The intention of criticizing and being disliked is perhaps taken up by imitation. It grows into a habit, unknown to its possessors. The habit may be strong, but it may be cured when those who have it realize its bad effects on their interests and tastes. I hope this little warning may be of service to them, and help them change this habit.
Although in fact it is chiefly an act of the imagination, it has serious results in life since it brings on deep sorrow and bad luck. Those people offend many others; nobody loves them, and no one treats them with more than the most common politeness and respect. This frequently puts them in bad temper and draws them into arguments. If they want to get some advantages in social position or fortune(财), nobody wishes them success. Nor will anyone start a step or speak a word to favor their hopes. If they bring on themselves public objections（反对）, no one will defend or excuse them, and many will join to criticize their wrong doings. These should change this bad habit and be pleased with what is pleasing, without worrying needlessly about themselves and others. If they do not, it will be good for others to avoid any contact(接触) with them. Otherwise, it can be unpleasing and sometimes very inconvenient, especially when one becomes mixed up in their quarrels.
1.The phrase “sour the pleasure of society” most nearly means ________.
A. make others unhappy
B. have a good taste with social life
C. often blame others openly
D. enjoy the pleasure of life
2.We can conclude from the passage that ________.
A. we should pity all such unhappy people
B. people can get rid of the habit of unhappiness
C. such unhappy people are dangerous to social life
D. unhappy people cannot understand happy persons
3.If such unhappy persons insist on keeping the habit, the author suggests that people should ________.
A. show no respect and politeness to them
B. prevent any communication with them
C. persuade them to recognize the bad effects
D. quarrel with them until they realize the mistakes
4.In this passage, the writer mainly ________.
A. describes two types of people
B. laughs at the unhappy people
C. suggests the unhappy people get rid of the habits of unhappiness
D. tells people how to be happy in life
Undersea restaurant Ithaa
Ithaa is the very first undersea restaurant in the world located 5 meters below sea level in the Republic of Maldives. The 5-by-9-metre restaurant can hold 14 people at a time and has a transparent(透明的) roof offering a 270 panoramic (全景的) underwater view. The restaurant was designed and constructed by M. J. Murphy Ltd., a design consultancy based in New Zealand. It was opened on April 15, 2005. Food served in the restaurant can be described as contemporary （当代的） European with Asian influence.
Tip: Work on technical designs and drawings for Ithaa started in March 2004. Once constructed, Ithaa would be put into the water. Because of technical challenges, limited resources, and quality control problems in building something underwater, the restaurant can only exist for about 20 years.
Skyline Queenstown Restaurant
The famous New Zealand restaurant offers delightful fresh seafood, salads, roast meats and delicious desserts, while the panoramic view from the windows will attract you day or night. It' s the ideal place for that special night out and the best place in Queenstown to watch the sun go down! With live music creating a relaxing atmosphere and never ending scenery to admire, you will be entertained as you eat in the restaurant.
Tip: Unlike other restaurants, the Skyline Queenstown Restaurant has tiered (分层的) seating to guarantee（确保） beautiful lake and mountain views from every table.
Revolving(旋转的) Restaurant Allalin
Located in the Allalinhom mountain, Saas-Fee, Switzerland, Revolving Allalin is the highest revolving restaurant in the world at about 3,500 m. The restaurant offers a rich selection. Valaisian platter, pasta and pizza ... all this and much more is on the menu of the world-famous restaurant. Enjoy the eating delights offered in the world's highest revolving restaurant, while some mountain tops slowly pass by.
Tip: Known as the ‘Pearl of the Alps', Saas-Fee offers many sports and activities: The popular holiday village features the Metro Alpine, the highest underground railway in the world up to the skiing area and the highest revolving restaurant at 3,500 m.
1.What do we know about Ithaa?
A. It was constructed in New Zealand.
B. It will exist for another 20 years.
C. It was finished in March 2004.
D. It can seat 14 diners at most.
2.The Skyline Queenstown Restaurant is special in its ________.
A. locationB. foodC. atmosphereD. seating
3.What do the three restaurants have in common?
A. They all met technical challenges while being built.
B. You can enjoy beautiful scenery at all of them.
C. They all offer a lot of sports and activities.
D. Yon can have fresh seafood in all of them.
假定你是李华。下学期你将作为交换生（exchange student）去加拿大一所高中学习，住在Lynn家里。请给Lynn写一封邮件，内容包括：
1.介绍自己；
2.告知到达时间；
3.询问应做何准备。
注意:
1.词数80左右
2.可适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。
阅读下面材料，在空白处填入适当的内容（1个单词）或括号内单词的正确形式。
Magic Touch
From my hotel room window，I could see a large advertisement board with his face on it: Jason, the Great Magician.
I absent-mindedly turned the 1. (page) of the phone book and came across a city map. Drinking my iced coffee I ran my fingers along the streets 2. the hotel to the opera hall. Not more 3. a half-hour walk, I thought.
I looked 4. (quick) at the clock, "The show starts in one hour; plenty of time! I drank the rest of my coffee and went to take a shower. Soon after, I was on my way to the show, 5. (carry) a fancy black handbag and a happy smile.
The hall was dark when I came in; the show was about 6. (begin). I made my way backstage just 7. the great magician was putting on his top hat.
“Daddy, I'm so glad to see you,” I 8. (whisper), I'm in town for the writer’s class, but I just couldn’t miss your show.” I gave him a quick hug and went back into the seating area，leaving him with a 9. (surprise) smile. I settled down in the darkness, and the curtains opened.
Magically, that show remains the Great Jason's best 10. (perform) to this day.
