One day Mary was busy working in her office in London 1. she received an E-mail from her friend Joan. In Joan’s e-mail, she persuaded Mary 2.( look) for a flat in London for her. As she had 3. (little) money at her command than before, the flat had to be cheap, but it had to be modern, with elevators and gas lines. It had to be in the 4. (east) part of London, with petrol and subway stations nearby. Though Mary found it difficult to find such a flat, she still went 5.(care) from one block(街区) to another, looking for a flat 6.would meet（满足） Joan’s requirements. Having tried too many times, Mary met her boss and politely asked him 7.advice. It was the first time that she 8. (talk) with his boss about her personal problems. It happened that the boss just had such a flat for rent, so they quickly reached 9.agreement(协议). But to her surprise, when she e-mailed Joan, telling her the good news, Joan said that she had changed 10.(she) mind—she was not returning to London.
The wagon train (马车队) had been traveling for weeks now. Emily was getting tired — tired of not having a comfortable bed to sleep in or a ______ home. She was also ______ because there was never anything fun for a girl her age to do. Mama promised it wouldn’t be too much longer, ______ the trip seemed to take forever.
Then, one day, a rabbit caught Emily’s eye. Maybe she could ______ it, and then she’d have a pet! Emily ran after the rabbit into the woods behind the wagons, but it ______. Emily looked for it, and at last she ______. She turned to go back, but ______ looked familiar (熟悉的). She started in one direction, but it was the wrong ______. Emily tried another direction, but soon found that that was ______, too.
Emily was ______. What if she couldn’t ______ the wagons? What if they didn’t realize she was ______ and just kept moving farther and farther away from her? What if some dangerous animal attacked her?
Emily sat on the ground and started to cry ... but wait ... did she hear ______? She stood up and ran toward them. As she got ______, she recognized Mama’s voice and the voices of some of the men from the ______. Then she could see them. Emily ran as ______ as she could, right into Mama’s ______ arms.
Mama carried Emily back to their wagon and put her to bed. Emily was ______ that she was home. ______ was wherever Mama was. She’d never ______ about being bored again.
1.A. real B. new C. big D. special
2.A. afraid B. bored C. lazy D. nervous
3.A. and B. so C. or D. but
4.A. dress B. kill C. catch D. buy
5.A. waited B. arrived C. disappeared D. stopped
6.A. gave up B. calmed down C. set off D. came in
7.A. nothing B. everything C. something D. anything
8.A. gate B. answer C. plan D. way
9.A. dangerous B. strange C. wrong D. impolite
10.A. excited B. frightened C. moved D. surprised
11.A. afford B. remember C. find D. mend
12.A. asleep B. busy C. missing D. tired
13.A. shouts B. songs C. cheers D. noises
14.A. farther B. away C. inside D. closer
15.A. train B. forest C. station D. zoo
16.A. safely B. easily C. slowly D. quickly
17.A. welcoming B. falling C. crossed D. broken
18.A. sad B. glad C. angry D. proud
19.A. Promise B. Trip C. Love D. Home
20.A. complain B. hear C. care D. know
Ways to make a great first impression
You’ve heard it a million times already, but it really does take but a few seconds to make that all-important first impression (印象). Here are some easy ways for you to impress your classmates or teachers.
● 1.
Before you shake hands with somebody, make sure that your hands are clean. The handshake should not be too strong or weak. Most people use their right hands, unless they have a reason to use the left. 2.
● Be on time
When meeting someone for the first time, arriving on time is as important as breathing. You may have an excuse, but that will leave the person who hardly knows you with a bad impression. 3. It’s better to be hanging around the place than be stuck in traffic.
● Introduce yourself and ask for names
Make sure you properly introduce yourself. Ask for their name in a polite way. 4. This will increase the chances of their remembering your name in the future. Always remember to stand up when greeting someone and be sure to introduce them to anyone you’re with.
● Make good conversation
To get the most out of your discussion, try to find something common between the two of you. 5. A person will feel more comfortable with someone they can relate to (产生共鸣).
A. You’ll be in serious trouble if you leave them with a bad impression.
B. However, don’t have your left hand in your pocket because this appears impolite.
C. Use body language
D. Have a proper handshake
E. Repeat the name and use it later in conversation.
F. As a general rule, plan to arrive about 30 minutes early.
G. It could be a similar taste in clothes or a common hobby.
Do you love Beats headphones, True Religion jeans, and UGG shoes? These are some of the most popular brands (牌子) around. They are also expensive. But some experts say they are not much better than cheaper brands.
For example, Jim Wilcox works for Consumer Reports. He tested all kinds of headphones. He says that $80 Koss Pro headphones provide basically the same quality (质量) and comfort as Beats. So why do people pay twice or even 10 times as much for the hottest brands?
Experts say it’s because fashionable, expensive brands send a message. Brands say “I belong” or “I can afford it.”
Some people think that expensive brand names are worth the price. They say that some designer clothes really are top quality and that they last longer than cheaper brands. Some teenagers choose to wear popular brands because these brands make them feel good about themselves.
Alexandra Allam, 17, likes to buy brand-name products. “I’d rather spend the extra money to get something I know I’ll be satisfied with,” she says. Her friend Emmy Swan agrees, saying “As long as you can afford it, it seems reasonable to buy what you want.” But not all teenagers agree. “Spending hundreds of dollars for designer sunglasses is stupid and unreasonable,” says Daniel Steinbrecher, 16. “It’s fake (假的) happiness.”
People who are against wearing expensive brand names say that many designer brands aren’t any better. “It’s wasteful to buy things just because they are popular,” says Edmund Williams, 15. “You’ll feel better if you buy things because you like them. If you have extra money to spend, it would be better to give it to people in need.”
1.Who have the same opinion on expensive brands?
A. Alexandra & Daniel. B. Emmy & Edmund.
C. Daniel & Emmy. D. Emmy & Alexandra.
2.What does Edmund think of expensive brands?
A. They make him feel confident.
B. They are not worth the price.
C. They need to improve their quality.
D. They pay too much attention to personal likes.
3.The text is mainly about _____.
A. how to buy things reasonably
B. the competition between brands
C. whether expensive brands are worth high prices
D. the different values of teenagers
The Chinese word "Shanzhai" means a small mountain village, but now it becomes an accepted name for fakes (假货), after "Shanzhai Cell-phones" produced by small workshops in southern China became popular in the mainland market over the past two years. Besides (除……之外，还有)"Shanzhai" electronic products, there are "Shanzhai" movies, "Shanzhai" stars and even a "Shanzhai" Spring Festival Gala, a copy of the 25-year-old traditional show presented by CCTV on Chinese Lunar New Year's Eve.
"Shanzhai" has become a culture of its own, meaning anything that imitates something famous. In Chongqing, "Shanzhai" version "Bird's Nest（鸟巢）" and "Water Cube（水立方）" woven by farmers with bamboo attract(吸引) wide attention from tourists. Both are copies of the famous Olympic buildings in Beijing.
A literature critic said that taking the "Shanzhai" Gala as an example, when the traditional CCTV program becomes less and less attractive to the audience, the "Shanzhai" version appears timely to attract people. "Although it is often connected with poor techniques and operation, 'Shanzhai' culture meets the psychological needs of common people and could be a comfort to their minds," he said.
To the mainstream（主流） culture, the rise of "Shanzhai" culture is a challenge and a motivation（推动）. People believe different kinds of cultures developing together is a perfect way and it is for the public to choose.
1.The Chinese word "Shanzhai" may have started with_______.
A. fake(假的) cell-phones B. electronic products
C. Spring Festival Gala D. Olympic buildings
2.According to the passage, "Shanzhai" culture means_______.
A. the action that a person imitates famous people
B. products with poor techniques and quality
C. anything that are copies of something famous
D. those similar names to famous brands
3.We can infer that the mainstream culture_______.
A. is held back by "Shanzhai" culture
B. is the challenge of"Shanzhai" culture
C. will be replaced by "Shanzhai" culture
D. may develop faster because of the challenge of "Shanzhai" culture
4.The underlined word "imitates" is closest in meaning to_______.
A. 偷窃 B. 仿造
C. 做广告 D. 欺骗
Brian was a funny student. He loved watching comedies（喜剧） best and hoped to become a comedy actor one day.
When he heard about the talent show to be held at this school, Brian decided to take part in. He had never acted on stage before, and he was very excited. But some students laughed at him. “You are not funny but silly，” Ken, one of his classmates, said to his face. “No one will like what you do，” another boy also said to him, loudly.
Brian couldn’t understand why they were so unkind to him. For a moment, he thought about giving up the show. But he remembered how much his friends liked his jokes, and also his teachers said he was very funny. So he decided to prepare for the show.
Brian did a great job at the talent show. Everyone loved his performance, and he won the first prize! His teachers and friends were proud of him. Even so, Ken told Brian that he was not funny, and that he would never be successful. Brian didn’t understand why Ken said so, but he realized that it had nothing to do with him. He confidently continued to work towards his goal.
As the years went on, Brian met more people like Ken. “You’ll do a terrible job，” they said to him. Luckily, most people encouraged him and some helped him to become even funnier. He got a lot of opportunities to perform in movies. He was even invited to appear on television. His fans thanked him because his comedies made them feel good when they were unhappy.
Now Brian is a big comedy star! He is doing what he loves best. He never feels stressed like those unkind people, and he laughs all day long!
1.What did Brian love best when he was a student?
A. Going to school. B. Helping classmates.
C. Meeting new friends. D. Watching comedies.
2.Brian decided to prepare for the show because _______.
A. he was invited by a TV station
B. his friends liked his jokes
C. he wasn’t busy acting in movies
D. Ken was expecting his performance
3.After winning the first prize, Brian _______.
A. began to understand Ken B. became a teacher of acting
C. continued to work towards his goal D. encouraged others to join him
4.Brian’s fans thanked him because his comedies brought them _______.
A. happiness B. success
C. luck D. pride
