Ever since you were born, you’ve probably celebrated the anniversary of that day once each year. Would you believe that some people actually celebrate TWICE each year? Not only do they celebrate the anniversary of the day they were born, they also celebrate six months later on their half birthday!
First let’s take a look at how half birthdays are calculated. The first --- and earliest --- is simply to keep the same number of the birth date and add six months to it. For example, if your birthday is January 13, then your half birthday would be on July 13.
Of course, this easy method doesn’t always work, because not all months have the same number of days. For example, an August 30 birthday would become Febr
uary 30 --- a day that doesn’t exist!
If you want to be really precise, you need to add half the number of days in a year to your birth date. For example, in a normal year, this means adding 182.5 days. In a leap year, you would add 183 days. If this sounds too complicated, don’t worry. There are plenty of websites that will do the work for you!
For starters, consider kids. As they grow, six months can mean huge milestones. It can be a special time to celebrate with them as they grow up, because they grow up all too fast!
Half birthday celebrations can also be great for those people whose regular birthday might be overshadowed by a nearby holiday, such as Christmas. Likewise, kids whose birthdays fall in the summer might enjoy celebrating their half birthday, so that they can share their joy with their friends at school.
Half birthdays aren’t the only special “birthdays” that some people celebrate, though. Adopted children sometimes celebrate both their actual birthday (the day they were actually born) and the day they were adopted. Do you have any other special “birthdays” that you and your family celebrate?
1.The author’s purpose of writing this passage is mainly to tell us ________.
A. what birthday means
B. what half birthday is
C. the kinds of birthdays
D. the history of birthday
2.The author shows us how to calculate half birthdays by ________.
A. offering some practical examples
B. making a list of different numbers
C. comparing a normal year and a leap one
D. telling the difference between birthdays and half birthdays
3.Who are most likely to celebrate half birthdays?
A. People who are not young any longer.
B. People whose half birthday falls in summer.
C. People whose birthday falls near a holiday.
D. People who don’t like their birthdays at all.
4.This passage is taken from a website; which section does it belong to?
A. Science. B. Politics.
C. Hobby. D. Culture.
Alex Elman runs a big business --- something hard to imagine after she lost her sight in her twenties. But Elman says that losing her sight helped her focus on finding success.
Elman’s father planted a hillside vineyard in western Massachusetts in 1981. It’s where Elman fled during the darkest period of her life. When she was 27 years old, she went blind due to complications from juvenile diabetes (幼年型糖尿病) 17 years ago. She recalled, “I hid in my home. I hid in the place, to me, that was the safest place in the world.”
Elman is now the founder of Alex Elman Wines, a growing portfolio (股份) of organic wines from all around the world: Chianti from Italy, Torrontes from Argentina. Elman doesn’t work alone. Her assistant, a guide dog named Hanley, is something of a wine snob, and quite a beggar. Hanley travels to all of the wineries that Elman does, from South America to Europe.
At first, Elman resisted the idea of a seeing-eye-dog. Now it’s hard to imagine her life, or her business, without him. She said. “When someone tells me something is organic and I don’t really believe it because I taste something funny on it, I’ll put it in front of his face and if he likes the wine, he’ll actually go in and sniff it. If it’s not right, he’ll turn his head away…He gets in the dirt with me. He scratches around. He makes sure that we see earthworms and butterflies. That’s how we know that the soil is actually organic, that there are no chemicals.”
Elman told CBS News she believes the loss of her vision was a gift. She said, “It allowed me to pay attention to what I thought was important and also to be able to teach people that the broken hang nail is not a big deal, you know what I mean? Don’t sweat the small stuff. Don’t sweat the big stuff either.”
1.Elman hid herself in her father’s vineyard probably because she ________.
A. suffered from juvenile diabetes
B. was extremely painful for her blindness
C. would like to help her father with the work
D. expected to recover her sight sooner or later
2.We can learn from Paragraph 3 that Elman ________.
A. has earned a large amount of money
B. plans to operate organic wine companies
C. has become successful with Hanley’s help
D. has travelled around the world with Hanley
3.Whenever Elman couldn’t judge the wine exactly, she would ________.
A. turn to Hanley for advice
B. have another taste in person
C. order Hanley to head away
D. make Hanley to drink it
4.The underlined phrase “the broken hang nail” (in Paragraph 5) probably refers to ________.
A. a nail which is of no use
B. a disadvantage you have in your life
C. a person who is hard to deal with
D. a task that is not easy to accomplish
If you’re shopping around for a new laptop to start the year off right, consider one of these following picks for budget-conscious students.
For Chatty Cathys
Sony’s 15.5” VAIO E Series laptop ($399.99) has a second-gene
ration Intel Core i3-2370M processor, 4GB of system memory (RAM) and 500 GB hard drive. Built into the machine is an HD webcam to make it easy to have a video chat with family and friends. And while the camera has a microphone, integrated Bluetooth means you can also wear a headset for even clearer audio. This Windows 7 Home Premium laptop also includes a DVD burner, ACID Music Studio and more.
Math blaster
Students studying math or statistics or business might appreciate a laptop with a dedicated numeric keypad along the right-hand side of the keyboard. That’s what you’ll find in Toshiba’s satin black 15.6-inch Satellite laptop ($399.99). You’ll also find one USB 3.0 and 2 USB 2.0 ports. This entry-level PC has a second-gen Intel Core i3-2370M processor, 4GB of system memory and 500 GB hard drive.
Personalize that PC
If you’ve got a bit more cash to spend, the newest Dell Inspiron 15R ($499.99) delivers a lot of bang for the buck. You get 6GB of system memory, 500GB hard drive. But students might also like the option to change up its look. While the laptop comes standard in silver, you can personalize it with additional lids for $30 a piece (e.g. red, blue or pink). Other highlights include Bluetooth.
Bigger is better
Especially if it’s going to be used primarily as a desktop replacement, a larger screen laptop is the way to go. For $449.99 you can pick up a 17.3-inch HP Pavilion laptop, with a good-looking LED-backlit high-definition widescreen display (1600 x 900 resolution) ideal for movies, games and photos. This computer houses a second-gen Intel Core i3 processor, 4GB of system memory, 500GB hard drive, DVD burner, and more.
1.If you often have video chats with others, you’d better buy ________.
A. Dell Inspiron 15R
B. 17.3-inch HP Pavilion laptop
C. Toshiba’s 15.6-inch Satellite laptop
D. Sony’s 15.5”VAIO E Series laptop
2.Toshiba’s satin black 15.6-inch Satellite laptop is different from others in that ________
A. it has three USB ports
B. its hard drive is 500GB
C. its system memory is 4GB
D. it has a larger keyboard
3.What would be the best title for this passage?
A. The development of technology.
B. Several school laptops for students
C. The changes of the modern computers
D. The future laptops for the young generation
假如你是高二（1）班的班长李华，你们班打算开一次题为“如何提高英语口语水平”的主题班会，想邀请外籍教师Johnson参加，请你给他写一封邮件，邀请他参加此次活动。具体内容如下：
时间：下周一下午5:20。
地点：教学楼二层会议室。
希望Johnson能给大家一些提高英语口语的建议，并回答学生们提出的相关问题。
表示期待。
Dear Johnson, ________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
Yours,
Li Hua
When I was 11, I spent days worrying about a school concert. I was terrified that I would perform 1. (bad) and that my classmates would laugh 2. me. I told my dad about my fear. He said I should regard it as 3. opportunity to be brave. Courage doesn’t mean not being afraid. It means 4. (do) what you need to do even when you are afraid.
Failure is part of our life. It can teach you 5. you need to do. You gain skills by doing 6. (challenge) things, even if they don’t work out. When I was learning English, mistakes sometimes 7. (help) me. When friends corrected my mistakes, they actually helped me remember the right words.
If people see you fail, you may be 8. (embarrass) and worry that you are not good enough. But failure doesn’t make you a 9. (lose). The only way 10. (deal) with the fear is to face it bravely. Every time you try something new, your fear will be easier to conquer.
1.In fact, apart ______ the hair he looked totally unchanged.
2.The poor baby was left outside ______ the mercy of the storm.
3.On my way home I was surrounded by some people begging ______ food.
4.I came _______ my childhood friend unexpectedly while I was on a visit on business in France last summer.
5.The note pinned on the door reminded me ______ a game played in the childhood.
6.No sooner had I heard the knock ______ I opened the door.
7.______ you respect other people’s religions, conflicts may occur.
8.It was requested that there ______ be more tables in the dining hall.
9.______ did this will sooner or later be caught and punished.
10.Nobody can belie
ve that it was in the small village ______ I was born.
