A grocery store owner in Japan recently paid $11,000 1. a bunch of grapes of the Ruby Roman(红宝石罗马葡萄) variety. He now plans 2. (put) them on display in his store and then give them away to a few lucky shoppers.
Special fruits 3. (be) a status symbol in Japan, sort of like rare wines in the Western world. It’s also customary to give high-quality fruits for some formal 4. (occasion) like weddings, business meetings or hospital visits. And there are specialized fruit shops selling only the rarest, most perfect products 5. are grown in special conditions to ensure they look and taste as good as possible.
The 30 grapes 6. (buy) by the store owner were the first of the Ruby Roman variety harvested this season. They were the size of ping pong balls.
To be worthy of the Ruby Roman label (标签), grapes must not only weigh at least 20 grams 7..
also have a sugar content of at least 18%. They were 8. (introduce) to the Japanese fruit market in 2008 and their price has been going up 9. (sharp) ever since. Unsurprisingly, these grapes set a new record for the world’s 10. (expensive) grapes.
It was the second time my tire had burst. This came after I _______ to find water at an abandoned station, where the caretaker _______ my bottles from his own water supply.
After _______ several miles under the burning sun, I _______ my hand and eventually a truck _______. An old local and two Moroccans got out and _______ me to squeeze in. At last they stopped in front of a garage.
“Do you know where I can get something to _______?” I asked the old man. I had not yet eaten that day and was hungry.
“Nothing for miles”, was his reply, followed by an _______ to drive me somewhere. I agreed, so I left my bike at his office and jumped into a car parked outside.
“I _______ pick anyone up.” He told me. “You are the first.”
“We ________ have a name for people like you.” I said. “You’re called Road Angels.”
He smiled.
We stopped in front of a ________. As we ate, the sky grew dark and ________ with clouds. He dropped me back to the garage, where the workers couldn’t, repair my bike. The driver turned up just in ________ to once again ________ the day. “I have found a shop that sells ________ tubes and tires. I can take you there.” I jumped into his car, at the same moment a heavy rain poured down.
A ________ tire and two tubes later, the storm had rolled over. I ________ my angel and continued my journey.
Throughout the ________ ride, I found goodness and ________ everywhere. People went out of their way to help whenever I needed assistance. I hoped I would be able to ________ a little of the same kindness to whoever in trouble.
1.A.planned B.volunteered C.determined D.managed
2.A.picked up B.sorted out C.took out D.filled up
3.A.walking B.riding C.driving D.running
4.A.took back B.stuck out C.set down D.looked at
5.A.drove by B.broke down C.turned up D.pulled up
6.A.invited B.forced C.commanded D.arranged
7.A.wear B.watch C.eat D.visit
8.A.announcement B.offer C.answer D.excuse
9.A.always B.often C.never D.sometimes
10.A.drivers B.motorists C.athletes D.cyclists
11.A.restaurant B.station C.market D.harbor
12.A.packed B.heavy C.filled D.familiar
13.A.turn B.time C.return D.case
14.A.save B.call C.witness D.complete
15.A.car B.truck C.bicycle D.carriage
16.A.long B.worn C.free D.new
17.A.dropped B.visited C.thanked D.entertained
18.A.entire B.helpless C.fancy D.future
19.A.competence B.responsibility C.generosity D.honesty
20.A.react to B.pass on C.get across D.show off
Ways to Be Happy in Life
Happiness is very important. If you are not happy, life can become meaningless. What can you do to be happy? Here are several ways to help.
1._______.
Having things to expect helps keep you positive and happy. It might be a holiday you’ve booked, or a concert. Make sure you regularly provide yourself with things that you desire to do.
2.Have a laugh.
Laughter is fantastic medicine for the soul. Seek out people who is humorous and make you laugh. Avoid those negative people. Watch some funny films. Learn to laugh at yourself and things around you. _______.
3.Exercise!
Through millions of years of evolution, we are designed to work physically harder than most of us do. This leaves us with extra unburned energy.
_______ This could be the gym, swimming, playing tennis etc. Exercise also produces some feel-good chemical substance (物质) in your body, leaving you feeling great afterwards.
4.Watch your stress levels.
Stress is harmful to your health. _______ Can you off-load some responsibility? Maybe talk to your boss about getting some help? If things can’t be improved, then consider finding a new job.
5.Don’t be a people pleaser.
___5___ Learn to say no to people who ask for too much. Do things that make you happy, even if people in your life don’t approve. As long as it isn’t harming anyone else, then chase what you feel you want to do.
A.Find exercise that you enjoy.
B.Have things to look forward to.
C.Life shouldn’t be taken so seriously.
D.Some exercise can make people excited.
E.And too much stress can lead to some deadly diseases.
F.If your job is stressful, consider ways to reduce this stress.
G.Although it’s good to do favors for others, only do them when you want to.
An image is worth a thousand kilos? Okay, so maybe not a thousand kilos, exactly, but a study shows how a photo diary can keep dieters motivated, making them more likely to achieve their target weight.
Elias Kuzmar Daza, a medical professional from Colombia, studied the motivation levels of patients on weight loss programs at a nutrition clinic.
Different measurements were taken of the patients each week, including body mass index (指标) food and exercise diaries, etc. to record their progress. In addition, full-body photographs were taken each week, which proved to be very motivating and a key factor in patients completing the full program.
Over the course of the sixteen-week program, a full ninety percent of patients, aged between 16 and 72, saw the treatment through to the end, with seventy percent successfully meeting their weight loss aims. Among those monitored, one measurement proved particularly motivating: waistline.
This finding indicates that the majority of the patients who attended the clinic did so motivated by image, rather than any underlying condition. It should be pointed out that eighty percent of them were female.
Another useful finding of this study was that patients did not necessarily need to attend the clinic in person for the program to be effective. A support line was set up, which patients could call to submit their measurements. They also took and sent their own full-body photographs to the researcher. Fifty percent of patients completed the program in this way.
Summarizing the findings, Kuzmar says: “What patients want is a photo, rather than cold numbers.” These photos serve as visual confirmation that all their hard work is paying off, encouraging them on to further weight loss.
1.What is the purpose of the study?
A.To show losing weight is very easy.
B.To compare several ways to lose weight.
C.To prove the effect of images in weight losing.
D.To see how many people can lose weight successfully.
2.How many patients in the clinic reached their weight-loss goals?
A.50%. B.70%.
C.80%. D.90%.
3.What can give people most motivation when they are trying to lose weight?
A.Friends’ encouragement. B.Others’ strong muscles.
C.Their slimmer waistline. D.Their standard blood pressure.
4.What must the patients do to complete the weight-loss program?
A.Go to the clinic every week.
B.Call to submit their measurements.
C.Report to the professional every day.
D.Take full-body photographs each week.
Boxwars is a fast-growing entertainment phenomenon that takes the childhood pastime of playing with cardboard boxes to a whole new level. Participants use cardboard to create weapons, trucks, tanks, huge animals and so on. Then they put on monumental battle shows during which every creation is completely destroyed!
Boxwars is the brainchild of Australian friends Hoss Siegel and Ross Koger, who came up with it nearly a decade ago over drinks. They did it at a party and had a great time, and then they decided to do it again.
With each new boxwar party, the suits and structures became more and more carefully prepared until they couldn't fit in their back gardens any more. So they moved the party to a local park on Boxing Day 2002, and people who were having barbecues at the park rushed over to watch them. And that's when they realized that their silly games actually had huge entertainment value.
That was the beginning of Boxwars. They go to the same spot every year on Boxing day.
Today, Boxwars builds complex structures for each themed battle. The sport has expanded beyond Boxing Day — it is now a part of nearly every major festival or event in Australia and around the world.
Boxwars is now run by the Boxwars Council, and has lots of fans across the globe. “One of our main aims is to bring cardboard back to the consumers who deserted it in the first place without realising its true potential,” the official website states. “Cardboard, or the street name ‘box’, we quickly discovered had brilliant properties for engineering. The limits of scale and awesomeness were continuously pushed to greater commanding heights with the development of our skills with this great thing.”
1.What can we infer about Boxwars?
A.America is its birthplace.
B.It is considered to be a waste of money.
C.Its first appearance was on Boxing Day 2002.
D.All the weapons made for it will be destroyed.
2.What is a main purpose mentioned in the text to run Boxwars?
A.To prepare people for possible war.
B.To exercise children’s ability of using hands.
C.To make people realize the use of deserted box.
D.To provide a chance to satisfy people's curiosity.
3.What did Hoss Siegel and Ross Koger think of their idea of Boxwars at first?
A.Significant and popular. B.Fun but foolish.
C.Interesting but expensive. D.Challenging but beneficial.
4.What might be the best title for the text?
A.Boxwars — a creative design B.Boxwars — a popular game
C.Boxwars — a new kind of box D.Boxwars — a fierce competition
Stephen Edwin King, one of the best-selling authors of all time, has inked numerous novels. He once received the ‘National Medal of the Arts’ from the US President Barack Obama and was called “one of the most popular and productive writers of our time”
His carrier as a novelist began with the creation of ‘Carrie’. At that time he was a teacher and during the summer vacation he did part-time work to earn a little money to make his ends meet. However, the publication of ‘Carrie’ was a milestone in his life and it also helped to better his standard of living.
His books earned him fame and money and not being able to deal with the sudden success that he turned to alcohol. His book ‘Cujo’ was written around that time and according to him, he does not remember having written it. The character of Jack Torrance in the novel ‘The Shining’ is a reflection of King himself, but after his family took to questioning him about his drinking habits, he quit and never went back to it.
His book ‘Rage’ was about a school shooter and his violent doings, which the author wrote under the penname Richard Bachman. Years later, some school kids did such horrible crime and said they had read the book ‘Rage’. For the greater good of the society, the author suggested the book not be printed any longer.
All knows him as an author but very few know that King, together with contemporary writers Mitch Albom, Amy Tan and cartoonist Matt Groening forms the band ‘Rock Bottom Remainders’ and they even perform once in a while.
Though creating horror stories, King often skips 13 as it petrifies him. In an interview he said, “When I’m writing, I’ll never stop work if the page number is 13 or a multiple of 13; I’ll just keep on typing till I get to a safe number.”
1.Which book had a great effect on King’s life?
A.Carrie B.Cujo
C.The Shining D.On Writing: A Memoir ofthe Craft
2.The underlined word “petrifies” in the last paragraph can be replaced by .
A.hates B.excites
C.frightens D.comforts
3.What can we know about King?
A.He is addicted to alcohol.
B.He has a sense of social responsibility.
C.He is also famous for his music talent.
D.He does part-time jobs to experience life.
