We all know that nothing lasts forever. It’s changes that have guided the development of our society.
Without change, there is no progress, creativity, or encouragement for improvement. Improvement means moving forward. It means making life better. It doesn’t just happen on a large level, across time and culture. It happens to all of us in our daily life, too. And how we react to change determines our results.
Fearing the unknown can be a main reason in refusing change. When change is invited, even in the best of condition, it can often be worried. You have every reason to think that way about the future, because you might not know where you’ll end up.
But if your mindset (心态) is right, you can trust that your direction is right.
When we learn to manage mindset, paying attention to the positive outcomes, we more often make the most of each change. When we come across common changes and realize if we can reduce some of the fear, we are better equipped to deal with the new situation.
Some changes just prove that your life is moving forward to a new stage—a stage full of new challenges and experiences. Why does change make you frightened? It could be that you haven’t a proper mindset. Here are two tips for managing a proper mindset.
Ask for help.
Examine your family and your friends, and determine who would be the most equipped to help you with your present life changes.
Look for positives.
Don’t fight against changes, but do find healthy ways to deal with these situations. The better you deal with changes, the farther you will leave those around you behind.
1.What can we learn about changes according to the text?
A. It can make our mindset better.
B. It may bring us improvement.
C. It can make us relax.
D. It may make us hopeless.
2.What is the main reason for people to refuse changes?
A. Always forgetting the past.
B. Being satisfied with the present situation.
C. Worrying about the unknown.
D. Having a good mindset.
3.Which of the following is a proper way to face a new situation?
A. Taking some adventures.
B. Moving your life forward.
C. Turning to somebody for help.
D. Focusing on surrounding changes.
4.What can be a suitable title for the text?
A. The unknown in the life
B. People’s attitude to the future
C. The importance of being positive
D. Welcome the change
Many young people would like to make a booth (货摊) in the name of entrepreneurship (创业精神) and sell lemon. It might seem like an easy sell—kids offering cool drinks. Some entrepreneurs offer their tips on how to make money from this.
Joe Mansueto, founder of the investment company Morningstar, sold lemonade as a kid. “You should always pay attention to customers,” he said. “When somebody’s walking down the street, get out from behind the booth, greet them, talk to them and just make friends with them to attract more customers.”
However, his two sons decided to sell a different drink. When they were 8 and 10, his boys sold cocoa outside their home. “The great thing about business is that there are really no rules. You can be creative and try something different,” Mansueto said.
But it wasn’t enough for US representative Mike Quigley and his older brother to sell drinks. They sold old books at the booth and would rent them out for customers to read while they enjoyed their drinks.
Adam Ochstein, founder of StratEx Partners, a human resources service company, gave frequent visitors cards which were printed with a lemon. Every five drinks, customers got one card which allowed them to pay less than half of the next drink. However, they didn’t price the drinks. “If you want to give nothing, give nothing. If you want to give $2, give $2. I think we had let the adults give more money than they probably would like to, “Today, he suggests kids use social media for marketing.” He said, “It can tell people where the booth is going to be and what unique specials you’re running.”
1.What is paragraph 2 mainly about?
A. How to set up a big company.
B. How to tell apart rich customers.
C. How to make friends with others.
D. How to attract more customers.
2.How did Mike Quigley make his booth different from the others?
A. By selling cocoa outside their home.
B. By renting used books to the customers.
C. By making friends with his customers.
D. By lending new books to his customers.
3.What advice about the booth does Ochstein give to kids?
A. Giving visitors free drinks.
B. Taking advantage of social media.
C. Giving visitors cards printed with a lemon.
D. Allowing customers to pay less money.
4.What is the text mainly about?
A. Street business. B. Marketing fashion.
C. Service culture. D. Social activities.
Vacation Packages in Los Angeles
A Disney in Los Angeles Vacation package
Enjoy a fantastic and magical adventure in the Los Angeles area with a Disney Vacation in Los Angeles, which includes four nights of stay and a 1-day Disneyland Park Hopper (通票) with transport which will help you set up a perfect experience to Disney.
Details:
4 Nights stay in your choice of over 85 hotels
Disneyland 1-day Park Hopper with transport
Description:
People of all ages love Disneyland, and you will have the park’s all kinds of rides and attractions. If you would prefer to look for excitement on exciting rides like Space Mountain, you are sure to find something new and exciting at Disneyland!
Experience of the Hollywood Stars Vacation package
With Experience of the Hollywood Stars, you can get a two-night stay at a hotel and the chance to see some of the most popular stars of Los Angeles!
Details:
2 Nights’ stay in your choice of over 85 hotels
Stars’ Homes and Rodeo Drive Shopping Tour
Description:
The package includes the Stars Homes and Rodeo Drive Shopping Tour, so you are sure to have a fantastic time in having a look at the houses of your favorite stars and having a fantastic time in shopping as well.
Places of Interest in Los Angeles Vacation package
The fantastic city of Los Angeles has much to offer, and you can take full advantage of it with the Places of Interest in Los Angeles Vacation, offering three nights of stay at your choice of hotels.
Details:
3 Nights’ stay in your choice of over 85 hotels
Half Day Hollywood and Beverly Hills Tour
Description:
Visit the most beautiful sights in the area and come back to your freshly-made bed for all three nights of your stay. You’ll be able to enjoy every moment of your vacation whether in your room or out on the town.
1.What can you do in the Experience of the Hollywood Stars Vacation package?
A. Enjoy all kinds of rides and shows.
B. Visit the most wonderful sights.
C. Have great fun in shopping.
D. Meet your favourite stars in their homes.
2.Which activity can you enjoy in the Vacation Packages in Los Angeles?
A. Watching Disneyland cartoons.
B. Having dinner with stars.
C. Riding bikes around Los Angeles.
D. Seeing the houses of stars.
3.In which part of newspaper can you read the text?
A. Travelling. B. Art.
C. Fashion. D. Sport.
请阅读下面短文，并按照要求用英语写一篇150词左右的文章。
You return from work on a hot August evening. Your unwashed son is on the sofa playing Honor of Kings, as he has been doing for the past eight hours. Not for the first time, you ask yourself: why are school summer holidays so insufferably long?
This is a more serious question than it sounds. Many children will return from the long break having forgotten much of what they were taught the previous year. One study from the American South found that this “summer learning loss” could be as high as a quarter of the year’s education.
Students will hate the idea of a longer school year. But plenty of children could usefully spend a bit longer at their books. More time in school need not mean repeating the same old lessons. Some extra drilling would be beneficial, particularly for those falling behind. But the summer could also be a time for different kinds of learning. Schools should be free to experiment.
（写作内容）
1.用约30个单词写出上文概要；
2.用约120个单词阐述你对暑假长度的看法，并提出至少两条合理利用暑被时间的建议。
（写作要求）
1.写作过程中不能直接引用原文语句；
2.作文中不能出现真实姓名和学校名称；
（评分标准）
内容完整，语言规范，语篇连贯，词数适当。
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请认真阅读下列短文，并根据所读内容在文章后表格中的空格里填入一个最恰当的单词。
注意:请将答案写在答题卡上相应题号的横线上，每个空格只填1个单词。
The 17th-century French tragedian Pierre Corneille wrote: The manner of giving is worth more than the gift”. He had a point, according to Charles Spence, head of Crossmodal Research Laboratory at the University of Oxford.
The professor’s work focuses on how our brains sense the world around us. His research has shown that high-frequency sounds and curved shapes seem to increase the sweetness wine tastes better if it is accompanied by the popping sound of a cork and drunk from all these created multisensory experiences.
So, what’s his advice if you want to impress this holiday season?
Bulk it up hide
“We’ve just published research on eating a box of chocolates，” Mr Spence said. “If you are 30-gram weight in a box of chocolates, that weight translates to a significant increase perceived(感知)quality of the chocolate.”
There are exceptions, but the association between weight and the perception of luxury(奢侈)applies to many items including tableware，perfume(香水)and wine，Mr. Spence said. “That's why in a restaurant，a waiter might artfully give you the bottle to weigh in your hand,” he added.
Black is basic
Black is the color most associated with luxury because, Mr. Spence said，“it seems to be the color that we perceive to be the heaviest.”
Such luxury indications are learned, rather than inborn, so they can change over time. I’m doing a lot of work on transparency(透明) at the moment; high-quality packaged goods should have a transparent window because it suggests freshness or quality,” he said.
But the trend is recent， the professor added, because “traditionally luxury goods used to have nontransparent packaging. I think it has to do with the current desire for originality.”
Layer it on
Unnecessary wrapping(包裹)can be an ecological concern but, when it comes to luxury goods like wine in a presentation case, it does make an impression.
“Tissue layers are really good,” Mr. Spence said，“because the crinkle adds an extra sense to the experience.”
Consider a little perfume in the box or wrapping, and, if you want to involve other senses, work out some way for classical music to be playing when the gift is opened because we associate it with quality.
Engaging several senses at once is beneficial.“The brain combines the inputs from each sense, both to determine what something is, but also to determine a reward value,”Mr. Spence said. Also,the more stimuli(刺激)to the senses，the more activity is produced in the orbitofrontal cortex, a small part of brain situated just beside the eyes. And the more activity there, the more rewarding something is perceived to be.
You can go too far
“Engaging an extra sense is more effective, but you can potentially have a disagreement if that extra sense doesn’t match the others.” the professor said.
passage outline | Supporting details |
Introduction | 1.a gift is given is more important than the gift itself. |
Research support | Involvement of different 2.may give you hotter experiences. |
3. | ·Increase the 4.of a gift: it improves perception of quality and luxury. |
·5.your gifts in black: it's considered to be the heaviest. ·Leave a transparent window in the packaging: people 6.to associate it with originality. | |
·Wrap your gifts with tissue: it gives an extra sense which may 7.to the receiver. ·Add perfume or music to the gift: they stimulate the senses of smell and 8.. | |
·Don't go to 9.: there is a risk that different senses don’t match. | |
Conclusion | The thought behind a gift 10. |
Mr. and Mrs. Wormwood had a son called Michael and a daughter called Matilda ,who was so quick to learn that her ability should have been obvious even to the most stupid parents. But she was their daughter. To tell the truth, I doubt they had noticed she crawled into the house with a broken leg.
By the age of one and a half her speech was perfect and she knew as many words as most grown-ups. The parents, instead of praising her, called her a noisy chatterbox and told her sharply that small girls should be seen and not heard.
By the time she was three, Matilda had taught herself to read by studying newspapers and magazines that lay around the house. At the age of four, she could read fast and well and she naturally began seeking for books. The only book in the whole of this enlightened household was something called Easy Cooking belonging to her mother, and when she had read this from cover to cover, and had learnt all the recipes by heart, she decided she wanted something more interesting.
“Daddy,” she said, “do you think you could buy me a book?
“A book?” he said. “What do you want a book for?”
“To read, Daddy.”
“What's wrong with the telly? We've got a lovely telly with a twelve-inch screen and now you come asking for a book!”
Nearly every weekday afternoon Matilda was left alone in the house. Her brother went to school. Her father went to work and her mother went out playing bingo. On the afternoon of the day when her father had refused to buy her a book, Matilda set out all by herself to walk to the public library in the village. She asked Mrs. Phelps, the librarian, if she might sit a while and read a book. Mrs. Phelps, slightly surprised at the arrival of such a tiny girl unaccompanied by a parent, nevertheless told her she was very welcome.
“Where are the children's books please!” Matilda asked.
“They’re over there on those lower shelves,” Mrs. Phelps told her. “Would you like me to help you find a nice one with lots of pictures in it?
“No, thank.you,” Matilda said. “I’m sure I can manage.”
From then on, every afternoon, as soon as her mother had left for bingo, Matilda would walk down to the library, where she spent two glorious hours sitting quietly by herself in a cosy comer devouring one book after another. When she had read every single children's book in the place, she started wandering around in search of something else.
Mrs. Phelps, who had been watching her with interest for the past few weeks, now got up from her desk and went over to her. “Can I help you, Matilda?” she asked.
“I’m wondering what to read next,” Matilda said. “I’ve finished all the children's books.”
“You mean you’ve looked at the pictures?”
“yes, but I’ve read the books as well. I thought some were very poor, but others were lovely. I like The Secret Garden best of all. It was full of mystery. The mystery of the room behind the closed door and the mystery of the garden behind the big wall”.
Mrs. Phelps was stunned.“Exactly how old are you, Matilda?”she asked.
“ Four years and three months,” Matilda said.“I would like a really good book that grown-ups read .A famous one.”
Mrs. Phelps looked along the shelves, taking her time.“Try this”, she said at last,“It’s very famous and very good If it’s too long for you, just let me know”.
“Great Expectations, ” Matilda read, “by Charles Dickens. I’d love to try it”
1.What does the writer think of Matilda’s parents?
A. They were too busy to pay attention to her.
B. They were too traditional to educate a girl.
C. They were too caring to put pressure on her.
D. They were too ignorant to raise children properly.
2.What does the writer want to say by mentioning the name of the book that the family had?
A. It is a good book for a little girl.
B. The family doesn't have a real book.
C. The mother likes cooking very much.
D. The family needs something interesting.
3.Which of the following words can best describe Matilda?
A. Original. B. Hardworking.
C. Independent. D. Delightful.
4.Why did Mrs. Phelps ask Matilda how old she was?
A. She wanted to have a light conversation with her.
B. She thought she might need guidance while reading.
C. She wanted to find the best book for children of her age.
D. She was surprised at her mature understanding of books.
5.What do you think Mrs. Phelps would do after Matilda got Great Expectations?
A. She would read together with the little girl.
B. She would show her how to read the book.
C. She would watch her from behind her desk.
D. She would tell her how great the book was.
