I was born in 1642 in France. After I was programmed by an operator 1. used cards with holes, I could “think” 2.(logical). In 1936, my real father, Alan Turing, wrote a book about how computers could be made 3.(work) to solve any mathematical problem by 4.(build) a universal machine. People were surprised at my artificial intelligence.
At first, I was as large 5. a room. As time 6.(go) by, I was made smaller and smaller. It was in the early 1960s 7. I got a family connected by a network. My memory became 8.large that even I couldn’t believe it! I could share information 9. others and since the 1970s, my family and I have been used by millions of people. I am now filled with 10. (happy) that I am a good helper of the human races.
When is the last time you took a nap(小睡)？Is a nap part of your culture? Many people in the United States think naps are a waste of ____. But recently, companies are seeing the ____ of a short afternoon nap.
For hundreds of years, an afternoon nap has been common for people of all ages and jobs. After a short nap, people wake up feeling more ____. They feel more alert(机敏的),and ready to go back to work. In Spain and Latin America, most businesses____ for several hours in the afternoon. _____ go home for lunch and a nap. In the late afternoon, they _____ their jobs. But in most _____ , an afternoon nap is very _____. In the United States, most people work 8 or 9 hours a day with a lunch break and one or two short coffee breaks. If you are_____ in the afternoon, have another cup of _____ !
Generally, naps are not _____ in today’s workplace. But now more than ever, a nap may be a good idea. Scientists report that most people have much less energy(精力)_____. During this time, workers and students _____ less clearly.
Research _____ that after a short(30—45 minute) “power” nap, most workers feel more awake, more creative, and are better at solving problems. Managers say that after a _____, workers can get more _____ in less time.
Some major companies see that naps help their employees, _____ they are taking napping seriously. These companies are _____ breaks for naps. So
me companies _____ have nap rooms. In the future, a nap break may be as _____ as a coffee break. But until then, it’s still not a good idea to get caught “sleeping on the job”.
1.A. time B. space C. money D. effort
2.A. solutions B. points C. warnings D. benefits
3.A. careful B. pleased C. fresh D. confident
4.A. hurry B. close C. exist D. fail
5.A. Workers B. Students C. Farmers D. Teachers
6.A. forget B. choose C. return to D. give up
7.A. cities B. villages C. countries D. schools
8.A. unusual B. strange C. important D. frequent
9.A. boring B. sleepy C. busy D. hungry
10.A. water B. milk C. tea D. coffee
11.A. remembered B. accepted C. discussed D. discovered
12.A. at noon B. at night C. in the afternoon D. at midnight
13.A. think B. speak C. listen D. watch
14.A. expects B. corrects C. suggests D. shows
15.A. trip B. nap C. meeting D. holiday
16.A. destroyed B. removed C. planned D. done
17.A. but B. and C. for D. or
18.A. offering B. welcoming C. taking D. changing
19.A. once B. never C. soon D. even
20.A. short B. long C. common D. interesting
How to make a successful apology. Have you done something that you feel bad about? Is there a person who you have treated badly? Do you need to say “I’m sorry” to someone? Here are five things you can do to have a successful apology.
● Make your apology real. 1.People can tell if you take responsibility for what you did or if you are lying.
● Do not make excuses. 2.It is saying that you were wrong to do it.
● 3. An apology should show that you have learned from what you did. Show that you mean what you say.
● Make it clear that you are apologizing. Just saying “I’m sorry” is not enough. Talk about what you did and then say that you feel bad about doing it. 4.
● Be prepared for the unexpected. Be prepared for it to take some time for your apology to be accepted. This may be a long moment, a few minutes, or even days or weeks. The person may stay angry with you. 5.
A. Be patient and hopeful.
B. Make a promise to change.
C. Choose the right time to apologize.
D. An apology will be better accepted if it is sincere.
E. An apology is not explaining why you did something.
F. You can give your apology to the other person as a letter.
G. It is important that the person knows you are apologizing.
It’s not unusual for us to be together with our relatives on the weekends. But you know that holidays can be the chances for families to get together. Also, it may be a time to break your relationship because of some improper conversations. Now, Deborah Tannen, a Georgetown University professor, offers suggestions to improve communication at the holiday table. Let’s take a look.
A round dinning table is best for promoting a lively conversation because everyone faces one another. So, avoid seating grandparents at the ends of a rectangular(长方形的）table, even though it is the traditional place of honor. The old may feel lonely there because they will be unable to hear or keep up with a conversation. So do female family members because they prefer to face each other when they talk. However, Men might look around at other things. “Guys may be more relaxed looking at the TV or other interesting things.” says Tannen.
When talking, you should notice the people who are not involved in it. If you feel you are doing all the talk, wait to give others a chance to start. If you feel you can’t get a chance to speak, try to make yourself to start talking.
Besides, Some families find that gatherings will go better if they take part in an outdoor activity. Going to a park for a walk may be more enjoyable than sitting around talking.
1.According to the passages, seating the old at the ends of a rectangular table _______.
A. might stop them from talking
B. may make them feel uncomfortable
C. is a good way to show them honor
D. allows them to follow a conversation
2.Which of the following is TRUE according to the text?
A. Men like to make more eye contact than women.
B. Women prefer outdoor activities over sitting around talking.
C. Men may be more relaxed while watching TV.
D. Women always want to doing all the talk.
3.The main purpose of the text is to _______.
A. introduce Deborah Tannen
B. give us some advice on how to spend holidays
C. suggest how we can talk and act properly when families are getting together
D. look at the person and listen to him when you are talking with others
Just like rice and Noodles are different from bread, snacks in China are a world apart from those in the UK and the US. For one thing, I never imagined that sunflower seeds(葵花籽) would be so popular here. I found people having them while waiting for tables outside restaurants, before dinner and, of course, while watching TV. I also saw that a plate of sunflower seeds is always on tables during the Spring Festival holidays.
I had seldom tried sunflower seeds when I came to China. In the UK, young people love their snacks. In fact, young people in Britain eat more snacks than people of the same age in other European countries. A recent Survey has discovered that 64% of under 20-year-olds snack between meals, according to an article on a British website. In comparison(对比), 58.7% of young people snack in Germany, 53% in France, and only 40.7% in Spain.
In Britain, we always looked forward to our favorite potato chips and chocolate bars after school. In U.S. One of things that I found the most wonderful when I first visited the US was the number of snacks in their supermarkets; I was surprised to find huge shelves just for snacks were bigger than some stores in the UK. Snack tastes in the US are much the same as in the UK.
All in all, it’s probably best for your health if you like sunflower seeds rather than potato chips and chocolate. But eating these delicious snacks sometimes couldn’t be wrong, could it?
1.What is the article mainly about?
A. The most popular snack in China.
B. Snacks in the UK and the US.
C. Snacks young Western people like.
D. Some tips for choosing snacks in the UK.
2.According to the British Council, snacks are most popular among young people in_______.
A. Britain B. Germany C. France D. Spain
3.What surprised the author when he went to supermarkets in the US?
A. How the snacks tasted.
B. The size of the snacks’ packages.
C. The lack of choice when it came to snacks.
D. The large number of snacks.
4.What does the author think of potato chips and chocolate?
A. They don’t taste as good as sunflower seeds.
B. They are unhealthy, so people should stop eating them.
C. It’s better eat them with sandwiches and fruit.
D. It’s fine to enjoy them sometimes although they are unhealthy.
The koala(考拉) is possibly one of the best known Australian animals, and is found in four states: Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria and South Australia.
The word “koala” comes from an Australian word meaning “no drink”. Sometimes people call them “koala bears” but koala is not a bear. It belongs to a special group of Australian mammals, called marsupial(有袋类). Female marsupials have a pouch where the baby animals live after they are born.
Koalas have soft, thick, gray or brown fur on their backs. The fur on the stomach is white. The Koala in the south have thicker fur than those in the north because of the cold winters. However, the koalas in the northern part live in warm to hot weather most of the year, so they have thinner fur.A koala has a large nose and round ears. Koalas don’t have tails. Adult koalas weigh between 7kg and 14 kg.
Koalas spend nearly all their time in the trees. They sleep most of the day, but feed and move from tree to tree mainly at night.The reason koala sleep for much of the day is because their food, eucalyptus(桉树) leaves, are so hard that they need a lot of energy(能量;精力)to digest. Sleeping saves energy.
Each koala has a home made up of several trees that they visit regularly. They normally do not visit another koala’s home trees except that a male is looking for a female to mate with.
1.Which of the following statements is NOT true about the name “koala bear”?
A. The name was given by the native in Australia
B. The word “koala” is an English word
C. The name describes one of its living habits
D. The name is partly wrong.
2.Which of the following is closest in meaning to the underlined word “pouch”？
A. House B. Cave C. Bag D. Nest
3.. Why do the koalas live in the south have thicker fur than those in the north?
A. The thick fur can protect them from the colder weather
B. It’s always hot in summer in the north
C. It’s always cold in the winter in the south
D. They have to move to the north in the winter
4.Why do koalas sleep much in the day?
A. Their foods are poisonous
B. Their food needs too much energy.
C. They want to save energy for the activities at night
D. They can’t get enough water from their leaves
