One cold day last November, my wife and I came home from work to a sick young daughter and we decided to stay at home for the night. Problem was, we had two tickets to see Miranda July, the performance artist, being interviewed at the Herbst Theatre. We decided to sell them online for ＄50. One hour before the event, a guy named Peter called me and said he wanted to buy the tickets. Since the time was limited, I told Peter to pay me the next day. Peter seemed touched and we said a fond goodbye.
However, a month later, Peter still didn’t pay me back. A few more weeks passed. Another month. There’d been one e-mail promising to mail the check, then silence.
Maybe he was having a hard time, I thought. But truth was, Peter seemed to be having a pretty normal time. According to the pictures and messages on his Facebook, he had been playing golf, dancing happily with his friends, and traveling on a boat. But he just refused to answer my calls, or reply to my e-mails or messages. So I tried reaching him with my wife’s phone one night. And he didn’t pick up when I called,but texted right back, playfully wondering who might be calling him.
“You should go to his office,”my wife said, “He would have to give you the money if all his coworkers were watching.”
But I didn’t want to become a debt collector. My efforts to reach Peter over these months had been light and I wanted to keep it that way. My initial exchange with Peter had been just two regular people agreeing to handle things humanly. There was a rare niceness in that, and I still wanted to keep that balloon in the air, however disappointing it was starting to look. I wanted to believe we could still trust each other.
1.For what reason did the author and his wife decide to sell the ticket?
A. They thought it was too cold that night.
B. They needed to look after their daughter.
C. They wanted to save some money.
D. They were going to be interviewed.
2.On the night the author sold his tickets to Peter, he .
A. knew he might not get the ＄50. B. felt a little hesitant.
C. thought he could trust Peter. D. was moved by Peter’s kindness.
3.Why didn’t Peter pay the author back?
A. Because he didn’t remember it. B. Because he was too busy to pay.
C. Because he didn’t want to pay. D. Because he was having a tough time.
4.What can we infer about the author?
A. He would never trust strangers.
B. He might call the police for help.
C. He would go to Peter’s office to talk to him.
D. He still hoped Peter would pay him back.
Away with words
The telegraph, an online news service, has teamed up with Saga, which provides products and services only for the over 50s, to hold a new competition to find the best travel writer. Three lucky winners will win a master class with two top Telegraph travel writers before travelling the world with Saga on one of three holidays of great comfort and pleasure. To enter, all you need to do is tell us something mysterious and wonderful about the world of travel—a favorite memory, a humorous tale, an unforgettable occasion or a sight worth writing about.
What we are looking for
You must be able to read not only those signs that help you find your way around but the ones that tell you how the locals tick. You must, in the words of Paul Theroux, an American travel writer, “descibe exactly what you see and give it life with your imgaination”.
In this competition, you can do that in anything from 150 words to 500, but they should be your words, and fresh ones. We do expect you not to hide the truth or the facts about your experience. Beyond that, you can make the most of the freedom travel writing gives you.
You’ll be editor as well as writer, so ensure those eyes are equally fresh when you check and recheck what you’ve written. We will make allowances for the occasional mistake, such as you have “fell” into a river. But we won’t put up with mistakes every few lines.
Terms ＆ conditions
Competitors must be aged 50 years or older.
The judging process is divided into two stages: entries will be hosted on the website for one month. The top 20 articles will then be selected by public vote. The top three winners will be chosen by three judges.
The closing date for entries is August 15.
1.What does the prize for winners include?
A. a chance to learn from excellent writers.
B. the publication of their works.
C. three wonderful holidays.
D. an opportunity to work in the Telegraph.
2.Who will select the final winners?
A. the public. B. Paul Theroux
C. two top Telegraph travel writers D. three chosen judges.
3.What type of writing is this text ?
A. . A nessay B. A travel guide
C. A writing guide D. An announcement
假设你是李华，你班将于本周日去太阳岛度假村（the Sun Island Resort）秋游。请你根据以下信息给外教Tim 写信，邀请他参加。要点如下：
1.出发及返回时间；
2.活动：骑车，钓鱼，划船，烧烤。
注意：1. 内容应包括以上要点，可以适当增加细节，以使内容连贯；
2. 词数100左右，开头已给出，不计入总词数。
Dear Tim,
____________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
Yours，
Li Hua
假定英语课上老师要求同桌之间交换修改作文，请你修改你同桌写的以下作文。文中共有10处语言错误，每句中最多有两处。每处错误仅涉及一个单词的增加、删除或修改。
增加：在缺词处加一个漏字符号（∧），并在其下面写出该加的词。
删除：把多余的词用斜线（\）划掉。
修改：在错的词下划一横线，并在该词下面写出修改后的词。
注意：1. 每处错误及其修改仅限一词。
2. 只允许修改10处，多者（从第11处起）不计分。
Last Sunday, I went to the Children’s Park with my parents. We were hanging out while we saw a naughty boy throwing a banana’s skin casual on the ground. Just then, an old man passes by. He was slipped on it and fell down. On saw that, we hurriedly went up and found he was injured. So I called 120 for help immediately and then an ambulance soon arrived and took an old man to the nearest hospital. However, the boy had left before we knew. It was the boy’s casual behavior that caused this accidents. It’s high time that we mind our manners and behaved us.
Owing to the effect of Traditional Chinese medicine and treatment, it becomes more and more popular now in the world. Traditional Chinese medicine originated in ancient and developed for 1. long time. It has collected various ways to treat 2. (differ) diseases. Traditional Chinese medicine pays attention 3.the balance of the body system. It reads, once the body system balances, the disease 4.(disappear). The damage of the body system is the source of the disease.
TCM is an important part of Chinese culture. Great 5. (success) have been made in many areas through TCM cure. As to acute stomachache, there is no need 6. (have) an operation; all you need is a cup of Chinese herbs, 7.the Western way takes more time and money. You may even take the risk of being infected after operation.
8.(compare) with the Western medicine high fees, TCM has a reasonable price that ordinary people can afford. I think TCM will be the mainstream in the health services in the future in China. And our country should invest more money on the 9.(develop) of TCM; 10.(make) sure it is not going to fade away.
When you eat out in a restaurant, it is not unusual to hear people yelling, “Let me get this one!” Sometimes you can see them________or arm wrestling to fight for the_________for paying the bill. These fights are often very loud and active. Each person________shows an honest desire to pick up the bill, and in the end, all the people at the table give the winner praise and ________.
In fact, figuring out who will get the bill is always a ________for Chinese people at formal meals. Although the people who_________ the meal are very likely to pay the check, it is a ________ practice to make an effort to pay the bill. But you will _________them if you do end up actually collecting money.
In recent years, going Dutch has been embraced by many young people.______, older generations who fear “losing ________” still find it embarrassing and mean to calculate each person’s ________of the bill.
But these days, ________ digital payment apps, splitting (分摊) the bill __________is becoming widely-accepted idea. Even people from _______ generations may want to do so. By scanning a code ________ paying their share via WeChat or Alipay on their phones in one easy click, Chinese are_________ it easy to relieve the embarrassment of figuring out each person’s payment when they order a meal. This function has made going Dutch less ________ and more fun in China. “Many of us are never without our phones ________ they are convenient. And person-to-person mobile payment services are incredibly _________ to use and at the same time save the trouble of ________ change,” said 18-year-old Han Chen, a student from Senior High School.
1.A. pushing B. arguing C. talking D. carrying
2.A. right B. privilege C. turn D. order
3.A. called B. invited C. involved D. selected
4.A. apology B. comment C. courage D. gratitude
5.A. headache B. conflict C. plan D. tradition
6.A. cook B. eat C. host D. enjoy
7.A. unusual B. common C. strange D. unexpected
8.A. disappoint B. frustrate C. embarrass D. inspire
9.A. However B. Besides C. Therefore D. For example
10.A. money B. credit C. promise D. face
11.A. task B. ability C. part D. share
12.A. as well as B. thanks to C. even if D. according to
13.A. personally B. separately C. electronically D. immediately
14.A. younger B. newer C. older D. later
15.A. and B. but C. or D. for
16.A. hoping B. finding C. making D. looking
17.A. excitement B. quarrel C. sadness D. trouble
18.A. although B. because C. if D. so
19.A. beautiful B. complex C. different D. easy
20.A. dealing with B. putting on C. setting aside D. watching out
