He really did look like a tourist, with a camera around his neck and a bottle of sunscreen sticking out of his bag． The fat man sat on the terrace (草坪), drinking lemonade, a little bit each time, and _____ to look at a smooth and shiny cruise brochure．His sunglasses_____ his eyes, but I knew he wasn’t looking at the brochure: he hadn’t turned a _____ for the last ten minutes．
As I brought him what he had ordered, he coughed up a “thank you” and looked at me _____．I tried not to stare at the tiny scar across his left eyebrow．
I walked back inside with my _____ tray (托盘), shaking my head．He looked _____ but I couldn’t quite place him．
Then it _____ me．The car accident．The _____ stranger who helped me out of my smashed car, _____ before it exploded．I _____ back to his table．
He was gone．
I moved his saucer and found his tip, along with a _____:
I am deeply _____ to you．The night of your car accident, I was on my way to _____ a jewelry store．Saving your _____ brought things back in perspective (看法)．I now live an honest life, thanks to you．God bless you! Mr. D．
I trembled．The night of my car accident, I was _____ for an interview in a shady dance club．Seeing human kindness through his _____ gesture turned my life around and brought_____ back into my life．
I _____ the tip he left．Among the one-dollar notes was a 100-dollar note with a pen mark _____ “In God We Trust”, which first appeared on paper money in 1957．
I said a silent _____ for him and got back to work, smiling．
1.A. asking B. pretending C. refusing D. burning
2.A. masked B. protected C. beautified D. comforted
3.A. picture B. bottle C. page D. dish
4.A. shyly B. worriedly C. fixedly D. briefly
5.A. empty B. clean C. heavy D. new
6.A. kind B. familiar C. sad D. puzzled
7.A. attracted B. failed C. moved D. hit
8.A. funny B. wealthy C. mysterious D. hungry
9.A. even B. perhaps C. just D. long
10.A. rushed B. inched C. struggled D. danced
11.A. book B. card C. notice D. poster
12.A. committed B. attached C. guilty D. grateful
13.A. rob B. visit C. help D. manage
14.A. money B. face C. life D. time
15.A. waiting B. longing C. heading D. preparing
16.A. friendly B. heroic C. traditional D. exciting
17.A. happiness B. glory C. honesty D. faith
18.A. dropped B. doubted C. weighed D. unfolded
19.A. colouring B. underlining C. enlarging D. deleting
20.A. prayer B. hello C. congratulation D. apology
Is college really worth the cost? Let’s explore some of the pros and cons． It takes money to make money．
Do college graduates make a higher salary? In general, yes．Those with a bachelor’s degree make nearly twice the income of someone with only a high school diploma．
1. Among the majors that make the most money out of college are engineering, math and computer science． Not surprisingly, some of the lowest include art, religious studies, and early childhood and elementary education．
2.
The average cost of a year of tuition (学费) in the United States is more than $30,000．That’s just one year．Because of that, many college graduates come out with debt that annoys them for years after they graduate．
For many tradesmen, a special skill in their specific field is all that’s needed to make not only a fairly good living, but a comfortable one．The average electrician, for example, makes $58,933, whereas the average preschool teacher, after college, makes around $30,000． 3.
College grads have higher job satisfaction．
Another plus for going to college? In general, college graduates are more satisfied with their jobs — 57 percent of college graduates are satisfied in their careers as compared to 37 percent of people with just a high school diploma．What’s more, college graduates are less affected by job cuts when economy is weak． 4.
They also have a better social network．
College also provides numbers of social benefits, providing social networks that stay with people throughout their lives． 5. The college years are formative years in our lives．
A. But college tuition is pricy．
B. Better universities cost more but bring more．
C. That being said, not all college majors are created equal．
D. They really have a better sense of achievement in their career．
E. They are more marketable and can generally find another job more easily．
F. How many people do you know who met their future wife or husband in college?
G. And that salary doesn’t factor in the cost to pay back student loans from four years of college．
Neither style of thinking is better or worse than the other; they’re just different, as Professor Ankush Chopra explains ． To be a great artist, musician, or big-picture thinker, holistic thinking is important—it’s about context, and intuition (直觉) is important．Many careers like those in science or law, reward analytic thinking, which looks at parts and units, and is specific and logical． Of course, the most successful people will be able to do both kinds of thinking, though generally holistic thinking, linked to creativity, is more difficult to teach than analytic thinking．
So those people who are analytic thinkers will see a price of $1.99 by looking at the single numbers, and will prioritize the first number when it comes to price. “Holistic thinkers tend to view all price numbers as a whole and are less likely to be affected by the nine-ending price effect,” Lingjiang Lora Tu, Ph. D. , professor of marketing at Baylor and a study’s lead author, told Phys. org．
However, that the type of thinking allows holistic thinkers to see the whole rather than the parts goes out the window when they’re stressed or distracted (分心的)．
“Our findings suggest that regardless of consumers’ thinking style, nine-ending prices are most likely to be effective in situations that overuse consumers’ resources, such as when shoppers are time-pressured at the checkout counter or distracted by background music or occupied with an interactive product demonstration,” Tu said．
This study was done with the idea that marketers should know about these differences in thinking style and keep them in mind when they’re pricing things for different types of people．But anyone who buys things can benefit too, by figuring out what kind of thinker you are, and then keeping that in mind when the signs show “sale” with a loud noise!—and reminding yourself that nobody makes the best decisions when they’re distracted．
1.Which of the following can be the best example of holistic thinking?
A. Only if the whole thing makes sense can Jack concentrate on details．
B. In American shops, you can find many things with nine-ending prices．
C. Jack kept on working on one thing and finally achieved great success．
D. Understanding each paragraph leads to understanding the whole passage．
2.The underlined word “prioritize” in Para. 2 most probably means “________”．
A. take no notice of B. treat...equally
C. think of...the trickiest D. consider...the most important
3.According to the passage, a consumer should remember that ________．
A. the nine-ending prices can equally affect any type of consumer
B. pricing things for different types of people benefits customers
C. background music isn’t always to create a pleasant atmosphere
D. it’s impossible to affect him even if he’s distracted or stressed
4.From the passage we know that ________．
A. different thinking styles create different pricing systems
B. preference of pricing system can indicate thinking style
C. holistic thinking somewhat outweighs analytic thinking
D. both styles of thinking cannot be beneficial to one career
Stefano Boeri, the Italian architect, famous for his Bosco Verticale, a group of tree-covered skyscrapers in Milan, introduced his new plans to pioneer a similar project in the Chinese city of Nanjing．
The Chinese version of Boeri’s Bosco Verticale, or vertical forest, will be his first project in Asia． The project will consist of two neighboring towers that will be coated with 23 different species of trees and more than 2,500 kinds of bushes hanging down the sides of the buildings． The structures will be built with the ability to house offices and will feature a 247-room luxury hotel, as well as a museum and even a green architecture school． The towers are currently under construction and are set for completion within the next year．
But two buildings aren’t enough for the ambitious Boeri as he now has even bolder plans for China to create “forest cities” in a country that has become known as an urban center choking on poisonous gases and dust．
In an interview about his plans to “greenify” the city and country Boeri said, “We have been asked to design an entire city where you don’t only have one tall building, but you have 100 or 200 buildings of different sizes, all with trees and plants on the sides.” Boeri continued, “We are working very seriously on designing all the different buildings．I think they will start to build at the end of this year．By 2020 we could imagine having the first forest city in China.”
Although these towers will lend a huge hand in decreasing air pollution in China’s eastern city, Boeri has said, it will take more than a pair of tree-covered skyscrapers to really solve China’s pollution crisis．This is why the Italian architect hopes to repeat his design in other parts of the country, as well as in other places around the world．
1.Boeri’s project is called vertical forest because buildings are built ________．
A. in a thick forest full of trees and green plants
B. in a city where trees and green plants are grown
C. with trees and bushes hanging down their sides
D. with trees and plants growing around like a forest
2.More forest cities will be built for the purpose of ________．
A. enlarging people’s living space in the urban areas
B. offering a unique solution to pollution problems
C. making the best of empty space around a building
D. beautifying a city which is like a forest of buildings
3.From the passage we know Boeri’s first project in Asia will ________．
A. still keep the original functions very well
B. raise people’s awareness of forest protection
C. gain him worldwide recognition as an architect
D. enjoy a better appearance in a crowded city
4.What is Boeri’s ambition?
A. To further reduce the construction cost．
B. To improve his design for more functions．
C. To help totally solve China’s pollution problems．
D. To have more Bosco Verticales around the world．
We’ve all had cases where we’ve waited just a bit too long to pay an electric bill or speeding ticket．But one man, from California by reasonable assumption, who goes by “Dave”, recently took procrastination (拖延) one step further, by paying a parking ticket almost a half-century after it was given．
In December 2018, the Minersville Police Department in Pennsylvania received a letter in the mail．Whoever wrote the letter decided it was best to keep his name somewhat unknown, so he put the return address as “Wayward Road, Anytown California” under the name “Feeling guilty”．
When the officers opened the envelope, they found a brief letter, along with a $5 bill, and a parking ticket dating all the way back to 1974．The note read, “Dear PD, I’ve been carrying this ticket around for 40 plus years always intending to pay．Forgive me if I don’t give you my info．With respect, Dave.”
Even though the initial parking ticket was only for $2, “Dave” must have felt awfully guilty because he left 150 percent, or $3, in interest．
Michael Combs, the Police Chief of the Minersville Police Department, stated in an interview that the same ticket would cost about $20 if it was given today． Combs went on to share that the original ticket from 1974 was given to a vehicle that had an Ohio license plate．
Because there was no system for tracking tickets given to out-of-state cars back then, “Dave” could have gotten away with never paying the $2 fine．But apparently, guilt got the best of him, and he decided to finally cough up the money more than 40 years past its due date．
1.How much do we know about “Dave”?
A. He lives in Wayward Road, Anytown California．
B. The police are trying to find out more about him．
C. His car probably came from Ohio at that time．
D. “Dave” is of course the man’s real name indeed．
2.Why didn’t “Dave” pay for the parking ticket until recently?
A. He completely forgot about it in the past 44 years．
B. He didn’t find it until almost half a century later．
C. He failed to find out who he should pay the money to．
D. He didn’t pay for it just because of procrastination．
3.What drove “Dave” to pay for the parking ticket at last?
A. A strong sense of guilty．
B. Fear of being tracked by the police．
C. Worry about being fined more．
D. Sudden change of his financial situation．
4.Which of the following can be the best title?
A. Police Chief of the Minersville Police Department Shares a Story
B. Mysterious Procrastinator Finally Pays 44-Year-Old Parking Ticket
C. Unusual Letter Comes from Wayward Road, Anytown California
D. Parking Ticket Carried Around for Almost Half a Century from Ohio
A Safe Personal Alarm
MOST EFFECTIVE DEFENSE
Loud: 125dB ear-piercing (刺耳的) panic alarm that scares away attackers
Proven to be more effective than pepper spray as a defense tool
Also commonly used by seniors to call for help in case of falling
SUPER EASY TO USE
Simply pull the pin, and this ear-piercing alarm will work for up to a half hour of continuous sound
Plug the pin back in to stop the alarm．(Can be re-used over and over again)
Easily attaches to keys, purses, backpacks or belts
WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING
“Extremely pleased with my personal alarm system ．I feel much safer in my everyday life having it in my pocket or handbag．A friend recently had an unsettling experience in an outdoor parking lot of a grocery store, so I ordered this product for her．She was delighted to receive it and to have the added protection and peace of mind it offers.”
—Jillian Thompson from Chicago, IL “Oh my WORD! This is SO loud! It’s perfect to call attention to an unwanted situation or to call attention to anything where you may need assistance．I got myself one and one for each of my kids．The pin releases easily BUT it doesn’t seem to just fall out either so you can carry with ease and won’t have to worry about setting it off．But if you do, it’s easy to slip it right back in．Haha! A little pull will give you a real good idea what it’s capable of, I promise.”
—Angela Kelley from Palo Alto, CA “Bought three for the young women in our family ．They were all very happy with the ease of use and how LOUD it is．Would definitely buy again.”
—Billy Perkins from Indianapolis, IN Are you ready to protect yourself and your loved ones from the bad guys?
1.How does the safe personal alarm work?
A. Loud and continuous noise gives warning or calls for help when someone is in danger．
B. It can be used as a sharp knife to drive away attackers and effectively protect its user．
C. In times of danger, it can go off automatically and last until assistance is successfully given．
D. A pull can help its user to avoid an unwanted situation or warn its user of possible danger．
2.The safe personal alarm is particularly useful for ．
A. someone who is looking for a gift for his family
B. a student who has trouble waking up for school
C. kids, ladies, or seniors in time of trouble
D. anyone who has a deep love for his family
3.“WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING” is attached here mainly to ．
A. explain the use of the product B. promote the advertised product
C. show great thanks to the producer D. share experience with readers
