We Brits love the idea of a real Christmas tree—but not so many of us like the realities of dragging a 7ft Norway Spruce through the house and leaving needles all over the place.
If you count yourself among the reluctant group，then it may be time to go fake (假白勺）.After all, buying an artificial Christmas tree needn, t mean accepting defeat. ThereJ s a huge range of options and sizes, including pre-lit trees, which will save you the frustration of trying to string your own lights.
Another big bonus of choosing an artificial Christmas tree is cost ： artificial trees can last for decades, so they work out cheaper than paying for a real tree every year. Like now retailers (零售商）are offering great deals at the moment： at Tesco, there J s 25 percent off artificial Christmas trees. Meanwhile, you can take advantage of the current 3 for 2 offer at Argos to fill your house with not one, not two, but three. You may perhaps partner up with friends who are also looking to invest.
Of course, keep your tree for years and years and it will start to pay you back in terms of carbon footprint; however，a “real” one will always have to be transported，used and dealt with every year.
Are there any downsides? Yes. You might think you, re saving the planet, but a fake tree is actually not an environmentally friendly option. Most are made in factories in Asia, resulting in some serious air miles to reach the UK. They’ re made from metal and plastic，and many end their lives in landfill.
Another problem with a fake tree is that they don' t look very natural—and of course you won ’ t get that lovely pine smell either. You ’ 11 also need to find space for storage.
1.What does the underlined word “reluctant” in paragraph 2 probably mean?
A. Passive. B. Related.
C. Unwilling. D. Supportive.
2.Which is the benefit of buying an artificial Christmas tree?
A. Abundant choices. B. The lovely pine smell.
C. Cheaper than a real one. D. Free for transportation.
3.What can we learn from the passage?
A. Fake Christmas trees are environmentally friendly.
B. British people like to drag a real Christmas tree home.
C. People need to find space to store a fake Christmas tree.
D. People may get 3 more if they buy two fake Christmas trees.
4.What is the passage mainly about?
A. Different reasons for choosing fake Christmas trees.
B. Valuable suggestions on choosing fake Christmas trees.
C. Efficient ways of saving money on choosing Christmas trees.
D. Advantages and disadvantages of choosing fake Christmas trees.
Spending money on time-saving services reduces stress and boosts(增进）happiness，according to a new research, but shockingly, few of us do it.
Whillans, a professor at HBS said, “ Buying time helps to protect us from the stress in our lives caused by time pressure, and the feeling that we don’ t have enough minutes in the day to complete our tasks. ’’
The effect was clearest in the Canadian experiment, in which 60 working adults were given $40 to spend in two different ways. One weekend, they were told to spend the money on a material purchase—a gift for themselves. The next weekend, they were instructed to spend the $40 on anything that saved them time，from paying the neighbor ’ s kid to run errands (跑腿）to taking an Uber instead of a bus.
u〇n the day they made the time-saving purchase, they felt happier, in a better mood, and lower feelings of time stress than on the day they bought a material purchase，’’ said Whillans.
The biggest surprise to the researchers was how few people would spend money on time-saving services. When they asked 98 working adults how they would spend a “windfall” of $40，only two percent named a purchase that would save them time.
“ One reason，’’ said Whillans，u is that we * re very bad at remembering how much we hate doing certain tasks once the suffering has passed. That makes us less likely to take active steps to avoid that overburdened feeling in the future. ” But another possible cause is good old-fashioned guilt. “If you feel guilty about getting someone to clean your house for you, then you might get less happiness from outsourcing (夕卜包）that task，” said Whillans，u or you might just be less likely to spend your money in that way. ’’
1.In the Canadian experiment, the participants .
A. were divided into two groups
B. were given $ 40 every two weeks
C. were asked to give money to a neighborJ s kid
D. were asked to spend the money in different ways
2.According to the author, what can make people less time-stressed?
A. Paying much for a concert ticket.
B. Taking a regular bus to get to work.
C. Employing someone to clean the garden.
D. Buying themselves an expensive present.
3.When it comes to spending money on ‘‘buying time”， .
A. no people would like to do it
B. a small percentage of people choose to do it
C. more people will do it if extra money is given
D. most people like the idea but don ’ t practice it in life
4.What do the underlined words “that overburdened feeling”in Paragraph 6 refer to?
A. The good old-fashioned guilt.
B. The feeling of spending’money on goods.
C. The stress of having someone clean your house.
D. The discomfort when completing tasks we hate doing.
The morning she left for Camp Kanawa, Maria awoke with an ache in her stomach. She had gone on plenty of parties. She ’ d even spent a whole weekend at Aunt Jolie and Uncle Ed ’ s. So what happened to her?
No breakfast today, she thought, imagining the ache turning into throwing up and a horrible road trip after a full meal. As usual, Maria felt hungry as soon as the room smelled of French toast. On the other hand, maybe a good breakfast was exactly what she needed.
“There’ s my big camper!’’ said her mom. Then, she walked to the stove, placed two pieces of French toast on a plate and powdered sugar snowing down. “Just like you like it. ’’ At the meanwhile, Maria was already in position, armed with knife, fork, napkin and full glass of milk.
‘‘Get started while it ’ s hot. Your father ’ s coming down in a minute. I told him to shave. Don’t want the bear—I mean, the bushy black beard.，?
“Okay，okay，” Maria’s dad said with a smile. “Clean as a whistle. Just like you ordered. ”
“ Really?” Maria ’ s mom shrugged (耸肩）•
“ I think it ’ s fashionable，” Maria said，dipping a bite in some syrup (糖楽）.
“Well，your old man is fashionable，，’ her dad said, moving his head the way he did when he wanted to look like a cool surfer man but looked more like an Egyptian robot. “ In fact，I was the most popular kid at my camp.，’
“For the record，it was a science camp，，’ Maria’s mother reminded her, looking her straight in the eyes. “In all seriousness, Maria, popularity is not important and finding the people who like you for you—that ’ s what matters. ”
“Your mom speaks the truth, Sugar,” said Maria’ s dad，wiping his thick beard with a napkin. “Just be yourself. You’ 11 definitely enjoy it.
1.What probably led to Maria’s hesitation to eat breakfast?
A. The lack of adequate nutrition.
B. The concern about feeling sick.
C. The inviting smell of French toast.
D. The worry about getting overweight.
2.What is Maria’s attitude towards her father’s beard?
A. Favorable. B. Disapproving.
C. Concerned. D. Uncaring.
3.Why did Maria* s mother remind her that her father went to a science camp?
A. To advise Maria not to focus on popularity.
B. To share her similar experience with Maria.
C. To emphasize the importance of science to Maria.
D. To persuade Maria not to discuss subjects except science.
4.What is the best title for the text?
A. Father ’ s beard B. A wonderful breakfast
C. Family talk about a camp D. Maria ’ s dream to be a big camper
South Ayrshire Council holiday clubs have a jam-packed, exciting and fun-filled program of activities and outings for your child to participate in.
The holiday clubs operate at the following locations ：
Mossblown Care Club, Mauchline Road, Mossblown. Tel*079-7112-0465 Dundonald Care Club, Castle Drive, Dundonald. Tel*077-7294^-225
The holiday clubs are operated by qualified staff and registered with the Scottish Care Inspectorate.
Information
Open： Monday to Friday 8-00 am—6-00 pm, from Monday 14 to Monday 21 October (inclusive) Costs： £ 18 per day (8-00 am—6:00 pm)
£ 10 per half day (8*00 am —1:00 pm or 1:00 pm—6:00 pm)
£ 80 full week
Please note that bookings MUST be made 2 weeks in advance and paid ifl FULL.
Information is available in your local Care Club by email from ChildcareServices@ south-ayrshire. gov, uk or alternatively by contacting the Childcare Services Team. Call 012-9261 -2029, if you wish a booking form to be mailed to you.
Holiday Childcare Program
Dundonald Care Club (available at Dundonald only)
Date | Type of booking | Activity am | Activity pm |
Monday 14 October | Full day | Eglington Park, Irvine | |
Tuesday 15 October | Full day | West FM Studio Tour | |
Wednesday 16 October | Half day or Full day | Athletics and Badminton | Dundonald Castle |
Thursday 17 October | Full day | Rouken Glen Country Park | |
Friday 18 October | Half day or Full day | Halloween Crafts | Cold baking—some sweet treats |
Monday 21 October | Full day | Spooky storytelling, Halloween decorations then Halloween party including cooking for apples | |
Please check the program on whether a full or half day booking is available. Weather not permitting. a suitable alternative activity may be provided.
1.If you go to the Dundonald Care Club on Monday and Friday, you at least pay .
A. £ 36 B. £ 28
C. £ 98 D. £ 90
2.What will visitors do at 8:00 am—1*00 pm, 16 October?
A. Make Halloween crafts. B. Do some sports activities.
C. Prepare some sweet treats. D. Have a West FM Studio Tour.
3.What information can we learn from the passage?
A. There are no activities at weekends.
B. Outings are the center of the program.
C. The activity will be cancelled inbad weather.
D. The booking is available from 14 to 21 October.
听下面一段独白，回答以下小题。
1.Who is the speaker?
A. An invited guest. B. A news reporter. C. A radio host.
2.In what way has the speaker changed?
A. He speaks faster. B. He becomes heavier. C. He cooks more often.
3.What is difficult for the speaker to get used to?
A. The food. B. The weather. C. The language.
4.What does the speaker think of the French people?
A. A bit cold. B. Generous. C. Easy-going.
听下面一段较长对话，回答以下小题。
1.When will someone come to check the hot water?
A. This afternoon. B. Tomorrow. C. At the weekend.
2.How did the students kno^v about the flat?
A. From a friend. B. From a newspaper. C. From a house agency.
3.What will the woman do to settle the problem about the fridge?
A. Pay the students for the new one.
B. Get someone to fix the old one.
C. Order one on the Internet.
