I wasn’t looking forward to Christmas 2017, after the passing of my mom in August. It was on a cold December day that I left work to meet my _______ at our lawyer’s office to sign papers of Mom’s will. With a sense of _______ my sister and I sat down and had a little celebration for what we had done. I have _______ this to the fact that we love each other very much.
That’s when my sister told me her family would probably not be coming to my place on Christmas this year. I had simply _______ I would continue holding a Christmas party. Realizing I was surprised, she explained a lot. _______, we began to call family members to ensure they’d be on that day. _______ no one was at home, we ended up leaving messages.
The first _______ came from my aunt letting me know she wouldn’t come. I said the _______ thing but I was depressed. The next came from my niece _______ me they’d go to Ontario to visit a family there. I felt ________. Then my brother called and ________ me not hold a gathering this year. I doubted my sister had asked him to call me, hoping he could ________ me, but I insisted I need to do this for Mom.
When I arrived at home, I was ________ shocked. A beautiful Christmas wreath (花环) was hanging on my front door. Where had it come from? It ________ my husband wanted to do something ________ for me. He was always busy with work. But to my ________, he had decorated the ________ house. “Where did the wreath come from?” I asked him. “It was in a plastic bag in our basement, so I ________ the wreath.”
It was only then that I remembered it was Mom’s wreath, which had been one of the things I bought home. When I was feeling ________, Mom sent me the very ________. I know she is still with me.
1.A.aunt B.sister C.brother D.niece
2.A.relief B.loss C.security D.humor
3.A.blamed B.owed C.applied D.accustomed
4.A.begged B.recalled C.assumed D.forgot
5.A.Stupidly B.Excitedly C.Calmly D.Awkwardly
6.A.Although B.So C.Because D.Thus
7.A.call B.visit C.greeting D.invitation
8.A.horrible B.appropriate C.urgent D.limited
9.A.warning B.advising C.convincing D.informed
10.A.determined B.nervous C.numb D.innocent
11.A.suggested B.directed C.commanded D.demanded
12.A.admire B.rescue C.sponsor D.persuade
13.A.gradually B.completely C.occasionally D.slightly
14.A.pointed out B.turned out C.picked out D.brought out
15.A.harmless B.obvious C.special D.grateful
16.A.amazement B.amusement C.disappointed D.regret
17.A.temporary B.ideal C.steady D.entire
18.A.paid off B.gave out C.put up D.searched for
19.A.enthusiastic B.delighted C.shocked D.discouraged
20.A.miracle B.saying C.concept D.decoration
After a long day at work, coming home is a breath of fresh air. Home is a comfortable place to sit back and relax. 1. Below are a number of things we can do to create a healthy home environment that will help to ease the workday stress and promote our physical and mental health.
Cleaning the house regularly is the first thing we should do. It may seem like a tiring thing to clean but there is a reason for doing so. We can remove dust by cleaning the house. Leaving layers of dust everywhere means that there is a build-up of dust. And where do these layers of dust go?2.
Making sure the rooms are full of sunlight is also important. We may not realize it but sunlight is an important part of our growth. We all know that sunlight promotes better working conditions. 3. Think about using a Parans system where sunlight does not reach. This technology gathers the sunlight by using solar panels. It can send out sunlight wherever we are.
4. Going green will help to remove toxins(毒素）in the air. They also give off oxygen, which can lower stress and improve our moods.
Along the lines of being green, it can also be vital to think about what things we are bringing into the house. Try to avoid specific plastics that are harmful to health. 5. They may contain poisonous chemicals that can be breathed in, or simple absorbed through the skin.
A. Into our lungs.
B. However, is it as healthy as it can be?
C. Is our home as comfortable as it used to be?
D. It is also a good idea to add more plants in our house.
E. The same thing applies to things like carpets and paint.
F. Besides, it can reduce both stress and high blood pressure.
G. It is acknowledges that a greener lifestyle is linked to better health.
NOT all memories are sweet. Some people spend all their lives trying to forget bad experiences. Violence and traffic accidents can leave people with terrible physical and emotional scars. Often they relive these experiences in nightmares.
Now American researchers think they are close to developing a pill, which will help people forget bad memories. The pill is designed to be taken immediately after a frightening experience. They hope it might reduce, or possibly expunge, the effect of painful memories.
In November, experts tested a drug on people in the US and France. The drug stops the body releasing chemicals that fix memories in the brain. So far the research has suggested that only the emotional effects of memories may be reduced, not that the memories are erased. They are not sure to what degree people’s memories are affected.
The research has caused a great deal of argument. Some think it is a bad idea, while others support it.
Supporters say it could lead to pills that prevent or treat soldiers’ troubling memories after war. They say that there are many people who suffer from terrible memories.
“Some memories can ruin people’s lives. They come back to you when you don’t want to have them in a daydream or nightmare. They usually come with very painful emotions.” Said Roger Pitman, a professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School. “This could relieve a lot of that suffering.”
But those who are against the research say that changing memories is very dangerous because memories give us our identity. They also help us all avoid the mistakes of the past.
“All of us can think of bad events in our lives that were horrible at the time but make us who we are. I’m not sure we want to wipe those memories out.” Said Rebecca Dresser, a medical ethicist.
1.What does the underlined word in paragraph 2 mean?
A.decrease B.release
C.reserve D.remove
2.The drug tested on people can ______.
A.cause the brain to fix memories
B.stop people remembering bad experiences
C.prevent body producing certain chemicals
D.wipe out the emotional effects of memories
3.We can learn from the passage that ______.
A.all people don’t support the use of the pills
B.the pill will stop people’s bad experiences
C.taking the pill will do harm to people’s health
D.the pill has probably been produced in America
4.Which of the following does Rebecca Dresser agree with?
A.Some memories can ruin people’s lives.
B.People want to get rid of bad memories.
C.Experiencing bad events makes us different from others.
D.The pill will reduce people’s sufferings from bad memories.
The biggest safety threat facing airlines today may not be a terrorist with a gun, but the man with the portable computer in business class. In the last 15 years, pilots have reported well over 100 incidents that could have been caused by electromagnetic interference. The source of this interference remains unconfirmed, but increasingly, experts are pointing the blame at portable electronic device such as portable computers, radio and cassette players and mobile telephones.
RTCA, an organization which advises the aviation (航空) industry, has recommended that all airlines ban such devices from being used during “critical” stages of flight, particularly take-off and landing. Some experts have gone further, calling for a total ban during all flights. Currently, rules on using these devices are left up to individual airlines. And although some airlines prohibit passengers from using such equipment during take-off and landing, most are reluctant to enforce a total ban, given that many passengers want to work during flights.
The difficulty is predicting how electromagnetic fields might affect an aircraft’s computers. Experts know that portable device emit radiation which affects those wavelengths which aircraft use for navigation and communication. But, because they have not been able to reproduce these effects in a laboratory, they have no way of knowing whether the interference might be dangerous or not.
The fact that aircraft may be vulnerable to interference raises the risk that terrorists may use radio systems in order to damage navigation equipment. As worrying, though, is the passenger who can’t hear the instructions to turn off his radio because the music’s too loud.
1.The passage is mainly about _____.
A.a new regulation for an airlines
B.the drawbacks of electronic devices
C.a possible cause of aircraft incidents
D.effective safety measures for air flight
2.What is said about the over 100 aircraft incidents in the past 15 years?
A.They may have been caused by the damage to the radio systems.
B.They may have taken place during take-off and landing.
C.They were proved to have been caused by the passengers’ portable computers.
D.They were suspected to have resulted from electromagnetic interference.
3.Few airlines want to impose a total ban on their passengers using electronic devices because ______.
A.they don’t believe there is such a danger as radio interference
B.the harmful effect of electromagnetic interference is yet to be proved
C.most passengers refuse to take a plane which bans the use of radio and cassette players
D.they have other effective safety measures to fall back on
4.It can be inferred from the passage that the author _____.
A.hasn’t expressed his own opinion on this problem
B.has overestimated the danger of electromagnetic interference
C.is in favor of prohibiting passengers’ use of electronic devices completely
D.regards it as unreasonable to exercise a total ban during flight
International Foundation（预料）humanities（人文学科）and Law
The International Foundation programs provide academic preparation for first year undergraduate（本科）entry and ensure you meet the academic English language requirements for your chosen degree program.
Course features
Develop the knowledge and skills for your chosen degree.
Benefit from smaller class sizes than at university, meaning you’ll have more time with your teachers.
Adapt to studying in the UK thanks to university-style teaching.
Guidance with your university applications.
Key facts | |
Course length | 3-4 Terms (8-11 months) |
Start dates | January, July, September, October |
Fees | From ￡16,115 |
Academic requirements | Completion of 12 years of schooling with good grades |
English language requirements | IELTS（雅思）5.0 and above |
Award | International Foundation Certificate |
Course options（选择） | Standard (3 terms, our popular g - month program) |
Extended（延伸的）(Contains an additional term of English language) |
Dates and prices
Start date | End date | Course length | Fees | Class hours | Class size |
Sept 24,2018 | June 21, 2019 | 3 Terms | 16,715 | 20 hours per week minimum | 18 |
Jan 7, 2019 | Sept 6, 2019 | 3 Terms | 16,115 | ||
July 2, 2018 | June 21, 2019 | 4 Terms | 20,215 | ||
Oct 1, 2018 | Sept 6, 2019 | 4 Terms | 20,545 |
How do I qualify（取得资格）？
English language requirements | IELTS 5.5 (with a minimum of 5.0 in writing) and above |
Age requirements | 17 years and above |
Academic requirements | Completion of 12 years of schooling with good grades. Students who want to study Journalism（新闻）or Law. Some previous familiarity with arts, humanities or social science subjects may be preferred |
1.What do we know about the International Foundation programs?
A.It is intended for college students who want to improve their English skills.
B.It provides courses for students on different degree programs.
C.Its lessons are given in a small class of 20 students.
D.It has two types of course with different start dates.
2.If you’d like to attend an extended course with a better price, you should start your class on _________.
A.Sept 24, 2018 B.Jan 7, 2019
C.July 2, 2018 D.Oct 1, 2018
3.To qualify for an International Foundation program, students are required to _________.
A.get a score of IELTS 5.0 or above
B.be 15 years old or above
C.have completed 12 years of education and received good scores
D.have hands - on experience related to their subjects
People across the world use Airnbn to offer their homes to travelers usually for a nightly fee. The home-sharing service provides some people a way to make extra money while they work other jobs.
The company announced recently that one of its most popular professions among American Airbnb hosts is teaching. The information came from an Airbnb study to find out what industries its American hosts work in. the study found that almost 10 percent of U.S. Airbnb hosts in 2017 identified themselves as teachers or in the field of education. The home-sharing service estimated it has about 45,000 active teacher hosts in America. In addition, the study says there are an estimated 75,000 other hosts living in households with a teacher.
American teacher hosts earned more than $160 million dollars from Airbnb in 2017, the company said. That includes about $54 million earned during the summer alone. The average amount earned by teacher hosts individually was $6,500 in 2017. The study did not provide data from hosts about why they choose to become part of Airbnb. But the company noted that many teachers in America face difficult economic situations. Airbnb says additional earnings from hosting can help.
The U.S. Department of Education reported this year that 94 percent of public school teachers said they had spent their own money on some classroom supplies in the 2015-2016 school year. It also reported that the average pay for public school teachers in 2015-2016 was lower than in the 1990-1991 school year when the inflation rate was considered. Some states had even higher rates of teacher hosts than Airbnb’s estimated national average.
Airbnb spokesman Christopher Nulty told The Atlantic magazine that the home-sharing industry was not a total solution for the current problems facing many teachers. But he said he thought Airbnb could be an “important tool” to help teachers make extra money and give them “the respect and dignity” they had earned.
The report on the number of teacher hosts comes as Airbnb continues to face opposition by activists and officials in some areas. U.S. critics of the company say the service is driving up rental market prices in several cities. Elected officials in some areas have proposed or approved rules to limit the influence of the service. Hotel companies have also protested that the business presents unfair competition.
1.Teachers choose to become part of Airbnb because of _____.
A.their economic difficulty B.respect and dignity
C.the lack of classroom supplies D.the high rental price
2.Airbnb is opposed by some people or organizations except _____.
A.officials B.the Department of Education
C.activists D.hotel companies
3.We can learn from the passage that Airbnb _____.
A.can solve teachers’ economic problems.
B.drives up rental market prices in most cities
C.helps teachers find a new job
D.might be an “important tool” for teachers to make money
4.The writer’s attitude towards Airbnb is ______.
A.approved B.indifferent
C.neutral D.opposed
