The art of paper-cutting in China may date back to the second century, since paper1.(invent)by Cai Lun in the Eastern Han Dynasty in China. As paper became more affordable, paper0cutting became one of the most important2.(type) of Chinese folk art. Later,3. different regions adopting their own cultural styles, this art form spread to other parts of the world. 4.(usual), the artworks are made of red paper, as red is associated with5.(happy) in Chinese culture, but other colors are also used.
With6.(it) long history, paper-cutting,7.originated in China, has been very popular among the ordinary Chinese people. People put up papercuts on walls, windows and doors at wedding ceremonies or festivals 8.(strengthen) the cheerful atmosphere.
Chinese papercuts are rich in content. The auspicious（吉祥的）designs symbolize good luck and the avoidance of evil. The child, lotus and bat designs suggest a family with9.large number of children and grandchildren. Birds, livestock, fruit, fish and worms are also familiar objects10.(accept) by Chinese farmers. In a word, papercuts used in different occasions have different meanings.
Over the years I have received many Christmas gifts. However, the best one I’ve ever received was presented by a________ I never knew his name and I only had______with him for less than 60 seconds, but the moment changed the_______I think about people and Christmas.
I______Black Friday sales. It’s often lots of people______the shops merely to pick up bargains. Their intentions are completely unrelated to the______time of year.
It was one Black Friday morning several years ago______my wife and I went to the local department store to purchase a child’s______for our son. W e stood with a very large crowd,_____ for the manage to blow the whistle. On hearing the______, people were all scrambling（争先恐后）to get the bargains. I______my opportunity and lifted one of the boxes containing bikes_______I felt some mild resistance. I looked______to see one of the largest gentlemen I’d ever seen in my life. “Frightening” was not the world to_______his presence. I unwillingly______the box but, to my surprise, he gently pushed it back in______direction. Our eyes made contact and he gave me a ____smile, saying, “Merry Christmas.” My wife and I went to the______and paid for the bike. All the way home I was thinking that this moment was much the best Christmas gift I’d ever received. A simple______of kindness from a stranger______all stereotypes（成见）and prejudices I may have had. I’ll never forget it.
1.A. friend B. colleague C. stranger D. brother
2.A. fun B. argument C. conversation D. contact
3.A. way B. habit C. attitude D. pattern
4.A. enjoy B. forget C. hate D. expect
5.A. breaking into B. crowding C. getting into D. wandering
6.A. joyful B. discouraging C. annoying D. busy
7.A. since B. when C. before D. until
8.A. toy B. book C. box D. bike
9.A. preparing B. looking C. waiting D. crying
10.A. whistle B. bell C. screams D. cheers
11.A. missed B. saw C. offered D. quitted
12.A. Gradually B. Immediately C. Occasionally D. Suddenly
13.A. down B. up C. through D. forward
14.A. introduce B. state C. describe D. say
15.A. take away B. take down C. put away D. put down
16.A. his B. its C. my D. another
17.A. friendly B. regretful C. frightening D. special
18.A. exit B. checkout C. store D. stand
19.A. act B. behavior C. word D. movement
20.A. deepened B. replaced C. cleaned D. removed
How to Become a Morning Person?
Here are some habits you can focus on that can help you become a better morning person:
1.
For five minutes each morning, write three things you are grateful for today. Practicing gratitude about what we have going for us can restructure our brain to focus on positive things.
Always have breakfast
If you’re pressed for time, pick something. A breakfast gives you energy and it’s fuel for your brain.
Try reflecting
Reflecting early in the day, even for 10 minutes, help to “clean” your brain of any disordered thoughts.2.With an app called Headspace you can try a guided 10-minute reflection.
Get moving
To really wake your entire body up, pick any type of physical.3.or it can be something shorter and even simpler: a morning yoga routine.
Light
Leave your bedroom curtains open.4., holding back melatonin（褪黑素）production and waking you up. Try to expose yourself to as much sunlight as possible.
Enough sleep
This might seem obvious but most Americans don’t get enough sleep these days. And if you’re short on sleep, you’ll tend to sleep late. With time, that will push you into a later and later sleep cycle.
5. Some people seem to be morning people, some night people.
A. Develop a positive attitude
B. Force yourself to get up in the morning
C. Keep a gratitude diary
D. It can be an exercise at the gym
E. It’s not as difficult as it sounds
F. This will allow natural sunlight to come in
G. And finally remember that people differ
Dangers from Outer Space
What is the greatest threat to life on our planet? Is it climate change? Shortages of food or water? Or might an altogether bigger danger come from somewhere further away: space?
We’re not talking about an attack by little green men here. Instead, how about being hit by a large falling star, beat by deadly universal rays or fried by the energy of an erupting star?
It wouldn’t be the first time that our Earth has had a rough ride over the last 3.7 billion years, with some disastrous events. The most famous mass extinction（灭绝）was 66 million years ago, when it’s widely believed that a meteorite（陨石）killed off the dinosaurs. A 110-mile-wide crater in Mexico with the same geological age supports this theory.
Believe it or not, this wasn’t the worst catastrophe in our planet’s history. That was when 96% of life was wiped out at the end of the Permian period, 252 million year ago. Scientists don’t know for sure why this happened, but any potential explanations carry with them the possibility that similar events could happen again.
Some experts believe that our Sun has a twin star which is too far away to observe directly. This huge sleeping star could twist the paths of orbiting icy rocks and cast them towards the rest of the Solar System.
Is this what happened 252 million years ago? Or is there instead, perhaps, a distant, ninth plant in our Solar System which pulls in passing comets（彗星）and sends them dashing our way?
The Sun that has given us the warmth is gradually turning into a deadly enemy. Like all stars, it is slowing dying, burning through its energy supplies. As it does so, it expands, and in about 2 billion years it will have grown so much that the heat will make life on planet Earth unbearable.
While all this sounds a little horrible, take comfort from the fact that the chance of being hit by a huge interstellar projectile（星际碰撞物）is unbelievably slim, and that 2 billion years is a very long time.
1.When did dinosaurs die out according to the passage?
A. 3.7 billion years ago. B. 252 million years ago.
C. 66 million years ago. D. 2 billion years ago.
2.Why was 96% of life destroyed at the end of the Permian period?
A. The cause is still unknown.
B. A huge falling star hit the earth.
C. A twin star cast icy rocks towards the Solar System.
D. A ninth planet pulled in passing comets.
3.What can we learn from the passage?
A. All stars will eventually run of energy.
B. Our planet will be attacked by little green men.
C. We will be fried by the energy of an erupting star.
D. A huge sleeping star will hit the earth in millions of years.
4.What is the author’s attitude toward the dangers from outer space?
A. Frightened. B. Relieved.
C. Worried. D. Doubtful.
How do you pay for things in a shop? Perhaps you like the touchable reliability of hard cash? Maybe the financial flexibility of a credit card suits you better? Or perhaps you prefer the simple convenience of a smartphone?
Whatever you use today, experts believe all these methods could soon become outdated. Instead, we will use our bodies: our eyes, our fingerprints, even our mere presence in the store. In fact it's happening already. Amazon are trialing stores which have no checkouts, where technology tracks the items you've taken from the shelves and deducts（扣除） the total from your account when you leave the shop.
French supermarket Monoprix takes a different path: you choose your groceries and leave them with a human cashier. You then leave the shop while the cashier adds up your bill, charges your account, and organizes delivery to your home.
Amir, CEO of Barclaycard predicts that such new developments mean the end of the plastic credit card. Instead, wearable items such as rings, necklaces and key chains will carry chips（芯片） that allow shoppers to shop, going between the web, an app or in store.
And while all the above payment methods are supported by accounts held in traditional currencies, let's not forget the rise of alternatives such as Litecoin. Virtual（虚拟） currencies can rise in value very quickly. One such possibility is explored in the movie In Time. It imagines a futuristic society in which the currency is time itself, where people trade the amount of time they have left to live.
Or perhaps we'd do better to wind back the clock to the simpler financial world of the equal exchange economy. While the term recalls images of bags of grain and herds of sheep being exchanged in ancient times, there are signs that are making a comeback in today's world of modern technology. Maybe the only thing we know for certain is that money will keep updating.
1.Which of the following statements is TRUE?
A. Payment is done by the cashiers at Amazon.
B. All the methods of payment have become outdated.
C. Shopping at Monoprix is convenient for customers.
D. Customers can leave their credit cards at Monoprix.
2.What might replace the credit cards in the future according to Amir?
A. Smartphones. B. Wearable items.
C. Virtual currencies. D. Fingerprints.
3.What is used as a currency in the movie In Time?
A. Litecoin. B. Human life.
C. Time. D. Bags of grain.
4.Which is the best title for the passage?
A. The Rise of Virtual Currencies. B. The History of Money.
C. The Ending if Credit Cards. D. The Changing Nature of Money.
There are plenty of things you can feel positive knowing about Garfield—the cat who loves lasagna, hates Mondays and adores a teddy bear named Pooky. But last week, without warning, there rose a strange and sudden debate around a question about the famous cat that even creator Jim Davis needed to weigh in on: Is Garfield a boy， a girl, or no gender（性别）at all?
The argument appears to have begun when writer Virgil Texas came across a 2014 Mental Floss interview with Davis where he described his tabby creation Garfield as “not really male or female or any particular race or nationality, young or old.”
In response to the quote（引用），Virgil wrote on Twitter: “FACT：Garfield has no gender. This. Is. Definite.” So sure was he of Garfield‘s true gender status that Virgil even took it upon himself to update the Garfield character Wikipedia page with the information。
But it was quickly clear that not everyone agreed with Virgil‘s edits, and thus began a war over the Wikipedia entry edits. Some mentioned that Garfield is male. Others wrote that it shouldn’t matter at all whether Garfield is male or female. Washington Post reported that the battle took place over 60 hours and eventually ended when Wikipedia shut things down by locking the page.
It was a statement that soon appeared to have been made in hurry as Jim Davis indeed soon joined the debate, shutting everything down in one line to Washington Post: “Garfield is male.” The 71-year-old cartoonist also pointed out that Garfield has a girlfriend, Arlene, and claimed that his 2014 quotes had been “taken out of context”. “I’ve always said that I wanted to work with animals because they’re not regarded as being any particular gender, race, age or ethnicity,” he said. “In that sense, the humor could be enjoyed by a broader group.”
1.What does the passage mainly discuss?
A. An argument about the gender of Garfield.
B. The interview between Jim Davis and Virgil Texas.
C. An update of Wikipedia entry edits about Garfield.
D. The popularity of the famous cartoon character Garfield.
2.What does the underlined phrase “weigh in on” probably mean?
A. Agree with. B. Join in.
C. Put forward. D. Care about.
3.The debate online upon the gender of Garfield was ended up by ______.
A. writer Virgil Texas B. Wikipedia
C. Washington Post D. creator Jim Davis
4.What can be inferred from the last paragraph?
A. Jim Davis’ 2014 quotes had been cut out.
B. Garfield becomes more famous than before.
C. Washington Post shut everything down in one line about Garfield.
D. The creation of Garfield is aimed at entertainment rather than anything else.
