Are you preparing any gifts for your friends now? 1., but choosing a proper gift can be a big headache, because it takes a lot of time and effort to think of the right gift for someone. Before you finish your list, keep these dos and don’ts in mind:
♦ Do put thought into your gift.
If you like something, that doesn’t mean that your friend is going to like it, too. 2.. Don’t get him/her an ordinary gift, and reflect back on your previous conversations to see if he/ she talked about a certain gift he/she had been wanting to get.
♦ 3..
Make sure the gift you’re buying is appropriate for the person. For example, if you’re buying a friend a gift, remember not to overspend or personalize it too much. Take a moment to think about how your relationship is with the person before getting him/her something.
♦ Do get a gift receipt (收据)
If you’re purchasing something for your friend, make sure you ask the salesperson to include a gift receipt. It’s just a polite gesture, and you know your money won’t go to waste.4..
♦ Don’t leave the price tag (标签) on.
Make sure you don’t leave the price tag on the gift and that you’re giving a gift receipt and not the original bill.5., and it’s not important for him/her to know anyway.
A. Don’t buy an inappropriate gift
B. Don’t be afraid of spending money
C. Giving gifts has forever been so pleasant
D. Take some time to really think about what he/she likes
E. If your friend doesn’t like the gift, he/she can just exchange it
F. Giving someone you care about a very special gift can be tough
G. It’s not proper to let your friend know how much you spent on the gift
Thomas Edison was one of ten said to be the greatest genius of his age. There are only a few men in all of the history, who have changed the lives of other men as much as the inventor of the first useful electric light. But Edison could never be happy only because someone said he was a genius. “There is no such thing as genius,” Edison said. He said that what people called genius was mostly hard work.
But Edison was a dreamer as well as a worker. From his earliest days as a child he wondered about the secrets of nature. Nature, he often said, is full of secrets. He tried to understand them; then, he tried to learn what could usefully be done with them.
Edison enjoyed thinking. He knew that most people will do almost anything instead of the difficult work of thinking, especially if they do not think very often. But he knew, too, that thinking can give men enjoyment and pleasure.
Edison could not understand how anyone could be uninterested in life. As he loved to think, he also loved to work. On the day he became 75 years old, someone asked him what ideas he had about life. “Work,” he answered. “Discovering the secrets of nature and using them to make men happier.” He said he had enough inventions in his mind to give him another 100 years of work.
1.Edison thought ____________.
A.he could be happy if he was a genius
B.genius plays the most important part in one’s success
C.hard work could do better than genius
D.genius could do better than hard work
2.Edison was _____________.
A.very much interested in nature
B.interested in discovering the secrets of nature
C.interested in changing people’s ideas
D.uninterested in making people happier by discovering the secrets of nature
3.In Edison’s opinion, ______________.
A.thinking can supply people with enjoyment and pleasure as well as help
B.people’s success lies mostly in genius
C.hard work is the second important thing in making people successful
D.there are few secrets for him to discover later
4.The last sentence in the passage most probably implies __________.
A.life is too short for Edison to invent more for human beings
B.Edison made 100 inventions in his life
C.Edison was able to live and work for 100 years
D.people of his time were ready to give Edison another 100 years’ work
America is a mobile society. Friendships between Americans can be close and real, yet disappear soon if situations change. Neither side feels hurt by this. Both may exchange Christmas greetings for a year or two, perhaps a few letters for a while — then no more. If the same two people meet again by chance, even years later, they pick up the friendship. This can be quite difficult for us Chinese to understand, because friendships between us flower more slowly but then may become lifelong feelings, extending (延伸) sometimes deeply into both families.
Americans are ready to receive us foreigners at their homes, share their holidays, and their home life. They will enjoy welcoming us and be pleased if we accept their hospitality (好客) easily.
Another difficult point for us Chinese to understand Americans is that although they include us warmly in their personal everyday lives, they don’t show their politeness to us if it requires a great deal of time. This is usually the opposite of the practice in our country where we may be generous with our time. Sometimes, we, as hosts, will appear at airports even in the middle of the night to meet a friend. We may take days off to act as guides to our foreign friends. The Americans, however, express their welcome usually at homes, but truly can not manage the time to do a great deal with a visitor outside their daily routine. They will probably expect us to get ourselves from the airport to our own hotel by bus. And they expect that we will phone them from there. Once we arrive at their homes, the welcome will be full, warm and real. We will find ourselves treated hospitably.
For the Americans, it is often considered friendly to invite a friend to their homes than to go to restaurants, except for purely business matters. So accept their hospitality at home!
1.The writer of this passage must be ______.
A.an American B.a Chinese
C.a professor D.a student
2.Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the passage?
A.Friendships between Americans usually extend deeply into their families.
B.Friendships between Americans usually last for all their lives.
C.Americans always show their warmth even if they are very busy.
D.Americans will continue their friendships again even after a long break.
3.From the last two paragraphs we can learn that when we arrive in America to visit an American friend, we will probably be ______.
A.warmly welcomed at the airport B.offered a ride to his home
C.treated hospitably at his home D.treated to dinner in a restaurant
4.A suitable title for this passage would probably be “______”.
A.Friendships between Chinese B.Friendships between Americans
C.Americans’ hospitality D.Americans’ and Chinese’s views of friendships
When you hear Westerners (西方人) say “Drop in anytime” or “Come and see me soon”, you should realize that it doesn’t mean you are welcome to come over to their house anytime. It’s wise to telephone before visiting someone.
Never accept an invitation unless you really plan to go. You may refuse by saying, “Thank you for inviting me, but I may not be able to come.” If you are unable to come after accepting the invitation, be sure to tell those who invite you in advance (提前) that you will not be there.
When you have accepted the invitation to a party or a dinner, it is polite to bring small gifts with you, such as bottles of drink, flowers and chocolate. Sometimes Westerners may take you out to dinner in a restaurant and it does not necessarily mean that he is going to pay the bill at the end of the meal. He might want you to “go Dutch”, which means each person pays his own bill.
1.The best title of this passage is ________
A.Drop in anytime. B.Come and see me soon.
C.Invitation in western countries. D.Westerners.
2.When Westerners say “ Drop in anytime” or “Come and see me soon” , it means ______
A.you are welcome to visit them anytime
B.you are welcome to visit them, but you still need to call them before going to their house.
C.they don’t want you to visit them.
D.they will hold a party for you.
3.If a westerner invites you to go to his house, ________
A.you may refuse if you don’t plan to go.
B.you have to accept the invitation even if you don’t want to go.
C.you can’t accept the invitation.
D.and you accept the invitation, you must go.
4.If you have accepted the invitation to a party or a dinner, what kind of gifts will you bring?
A.Money. B.Televisions
C.Computers. D.Books
Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival
Where: Becket, Massachusetts
When: June 15-Aug. 24
Each summer, this influential dance center presents a number of classes and performances by more than 50 companies from around the world. Highlights (最精彩的部分) this season include the Dance Theater of Harlem's production of Alvin Ailey's “The Lark Ascending”, which opens the festival.
Many events are free. Ticketed performances start at $22. jacobspillow.org.
Moab Music Festival
Where: Moab, Utah
When: Aug. 29-Sept. 9
This area is better known for mountain biking than for music. But since 1992, it has hosted a private festival that brings classical, jazz, Latin and other types of music to the land. This year there will be 16 concerts, including three “Grotto Concerts”, where guests take a 45-minute boat ride down the Colorado River to performances.
Events start at $25. moabmusicfest.org.
Cheyenne Frontier Days
Where: Cheyenne, Wyoming
When: July 19-28
There's something for everyone at this 117-year-old festival, from an “Indian village” and Old West museum to country concerts. But the competition is still the main attraction, with cowboys and cowgirls competing for major money in the world's largest outdoor stage.
Competition tickets start at $18, and concert tickets at $23. cfdrodeo.com.
The Glimmerglass Festival
Where: Cooperstown, New York
When: July 6-Aug. 24
Each summer, opera lovers from around the country (and the world) travel to upstate New York to watch productions that include stars like Nathan Gunn and Ginger Costa-Jackson. This year's performances include Wagner's “The Flying Dutchman” and Verdi's “King for a Day”, in honor of the 200th birthdays of both composers (作曲家).
Tickets start at $26. glimmerglass.org.
1.If you want to enjoy a “Grotto Concert”, which date suits you best?
A.June 15. B.July 19.
C.August 24. D.September 4.
2.If you go to Cheyenne to watch a competition and enjoy a concert, how much will you pay at least?
A.$18. B.$22.
C.$36. D.$41.
3.If you are a big fan of Wagner, you're advised to go to _____.
A.Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival
B.the Glimmerglass Festival
C.Cheyenne Frontier Days
D.Moab Music Festival
阅读下面材料，根据其内容和所给段落开头语续写两段，使之构成一篇完整的短文。 续写的词数应为150左右。
We were three thousand miles away from home on a Random Acts of Kindness and Volunteerism Road Trip. We were short of money, so we had two goals today:
1. Try out our new “Smile!” signs and see how much kindness and joy we could spread in Pike Place Market.
2. Raise at least $80 by doing street performances. Singing, drawing or storytelling. This would be enough for gas to Portland and a small hotel room.
We weren’t sure how people would react to our signs. It’s so easy to walk past a busy crowd, lost in your own world, refusing to make eye-contact with strangers, and feeling alone despite being surrounded by hundreds of people just like you. Finally, I gathered courage to raise our signs and shouted, “Hi here!” to a young couple. They looked over, confused for a moment,read my sign and broke into smiles. Then we saw more smiling faces in the crowd.
Before long, our signs were wildly popular. Tourists wanted photos with us. Strangers stopped to ask us about our signs. We told them the story of our acts of kindness road trip and listened to their stories,too.
Sometimes I’d see unfriendly faces and feel particularly nervous to show them my bright sign. But I was always rewarded with a big smile whenever I did so. Suddenly they were no longer faces of strangers but those of neighbors and friends. This world is full of good people we just don’t know yet. We got so wrapped up in our wonderful “Smile! ” project that we forgot the other goal. Before we knew it,the sun was setting,and we had no money for our trip to Portland.
Paragraph 1: We sat down to watch a musician play the guitar while we thought about our second goal. _________________________________________________________________________
Paragraph 2: Our little band of five attracted a large audience.__________________________________________________________________
