“Bananas Gone Wild” beats “Potato Parcel” down in terms of the most ridiculous idea according to the vote from net friends. But both of them have proven to be completely successful. While the latter involved sending people messages written on raw potatoes, the former is all about decorating bananas and selling them for $10 every piece.
Davonte Wilson first came up with the idea of Bananas Gone Wild when he worked as a doctor in a hospital. He became popular in the workplace as a guy who spent some of his spare time drawing some faces with strange expressions on bananas, with his co-workers going as far as to play jokes on his special hobby. But it’s Wilson who is laughing all the way to the bank now, as his business is projected to earn him 100,000 dollars.
Wilson works out of his apartment, bringing bananas to life by using markers, fake beards, eyeglasses, moustache stickers and other tools. He then puts them up for sale on his website BananasGoneWild.com. He also gives customers the chance to create their own bananas by choosing the decorations themselves, starting at $9.99.
Wilson admits that he started the business on a whim, and never expected it to be so successful. Now Wilson works on about 75 bananas a day. Once he finishes, he will cover the bananas with plastic wrap(保鲜膜)and take them to the post office to ship out to customers. Wilson points out that his creations are meant to be souvenirs and his website clearly states that the bananas are not meant to be eaten.
When it comes to Wilson’s six figures a year by selling decorated bananas, I think I’m definitely in the wrong business, which is also doubted by my friends who know Wilson’s story.
1.Wilson got the idea of “Bananas Gone Wild” ________.
A.at work
B.out of his hobby
C.when playing jokes about bananas
D.after becoming popular in the workplace
2.What does the underlined word “whim” in paragraph 4 mean?
A.A little joke.
B.A special banana.
C.A sudden wish.
D.A great dream.
3.Which of the following can best describe Wilson?
A.Imaginative and creative.
B.Courageous and hard-working.
C.Ridiculous but talented.
D.Smart but unconfident.
4.What can we infer from the text?
A.“Bananas Gone Wild” and “Potato Parcel” are both created by Wilson.
B.Wilson has been expecting his “Bananas Gone Wild” to succeed.
C.The author is planning to sell decorated bananas like Wilson.
D.Wilson’s story will have a positive influence on the author’s business.
It is 4:45 am in Samasati village in north-western Zambia and the Chimwanga family, champion beekeepers of the village, are already on their way to collect honey from one of their many hives(蜂房). Samasati has been famous for beekeeping but it is only in the last ten years that the business has begun to make a difference to the lives of the producers, since they began to trade through an organization guaranteeing them a fair price for their crop.
Samasati is a beautiful place, where nature provides and pollution is non-existent. Here, 61 miles from the nearest telephone or source of electricity, the 322 inhabitants support themselves from the forest and rivers and the only income available to the villagers is from selling their honey.
It is a half-hour walk from the Chimwangas’ house to the hive. On reaching the site, the Chimwangas tear off low, leaf-covered branches from nearby trees. They place these in a pile on the ground as a bundle(捆)and put some dry plants in the middle. A match then sets the plants alight and thick smoke is produced as the fire spreads from the dry plants to the green leaves.
Mr. Chimwanga climbs quickly up the tree trunk and moves carefully along a branch towards the hanging hive, carrying the smoking bundle with him. When he reaches the hive, he waves smoke into the entrance to calm the bees. The bees circle his head continuously. Unafraid, he pulls up a bucket and fills it with the precious delicious honey, fragrant but not too sweet ‒ the result of hundreds of wild flowers the bees have enjoyed in the forest.
This honey is sold straight to the exporting company, North West Bee Products, through Bon Malichi. He is the vital middleman for the beekeepers. Bob believes the honey is Zambia’s future. “Our honey is produced without adding anything.” he says. The honey is transported to Dares Salaam, in neighbouring country Tanzania, for export. Within a month of a Zambian beekeeper climbing to his hive, his honey can be spread on bread anywhere in the world.
1.What are the Chimwanga family going out so early to do?
A.Look for bees.
B.Get honey in the forest.
C.Make honey for trading.
D.Sell their honey crop.
2.Mr. Chimwanga lit dry plants in order to ________.
A.get light and see the hives clearly
B.scare away the bees by thick smoke
C.produce smoke to protect him from the bees
D.keep warm by the burning plants
3.Why does Bob believe the honey is Zambia’s future?
A.It is popular for its superior quality.
B.It has a large quantity of production.
C.He can guarantee a fair price for it.
D.He can help export it to neighboring countries.
4.What can we learn about Samasati from the text?
A.It enjoys beautiful nature and less pollution.
B.It has an abundant supply of electricity.
C.It is well known for processing honey.
D.It is a small, poor and backward village.
假设你是红星中学高三学生李华。 英国交换生Jim在给你的邮件中提到他对你校的学生社团非常感兴趣,计划下学期参加其中一个。他向你征询建议。请给他回邮件,内容包括:
1. 推荐的社团; 2. 推荐的理由; 3. 建议他做哪些准备。
注意:1. 词数不少于100;
2. 开头和结尾已给出,不计入总词数。
Dear Jim,
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Yours faithfully,
Li Hua
Directions: Read the following passage. Summarize the main idea and the main point(s) of the passage in no more than 60 words. Use your own words as far as possible.
Have you ever been involved in animal rescue? This is what happened to the Winter the dolphin. Winter was found off the coast of Florida in December of 2005. She was just a few months old, alone, and caught in a crab trap. The ropes from the trap were wrapped tightly around her body.
The fisherman who found her called for help, and the rescue team soon arrived. The ropes had cut off the blood circulation to her tail. She was badly hurt. Her rescuers didn't think she would survive. Hoping for a miracle and racing against time to save her, the rescuers transferred her to the ClearwaterMarine Aquarium in Florida.
The doctors managed to save Winter, but sadly, not her tail. He tail flukes were too damaged and had to be removed so Winter could live.
The little dolphin Winter survived against all odds, but she would never be able to swim normally without a tail. Thankfully the story doesn't end here. Winter was able to swim, but not very well. Because she didn't have a tail. She moved her body in a side-to-side motion like a shark. But doctors at the aquarium were worried that unconventional moment would hurt her spine.
Kevin Carroll heard Winter's story and for thought, he would could help. He is a specialist who designs and provides prostheses for people. If he could help people, why not help a dolphin? He started working with Winter and came up with a solution for the new fluke and tail section
Kevin designed a stretchy sleeve to fit winter's body and protect her skin. Then a tail made of silicone and plastic was made to tightly fit over the sleeve. Now winter can swim like other dolphins. And she is a great inspiration to people who struggle with their own injuries.
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阅读下面材料,在空白处填入适当的内容(1个单词)或括号内单词的正确形式。
A new TV series in England, Away from it all,1. ( have) surprised everyone by becoming a huge success with young people across the country. Its success is 2. ( surprise) because the main character 3. the series is a shepherd, and the series is about the relaxing lifestyles of people 4.live in the country. There is none of the action that we usually see on TV today. There are also no stressful moments, busy offices or crowded 5. ( city). Away from it all is set in the peaceful English countryside and tells simple stories about people's 6. ( kind).
The director of the TV series says that its success is 7. sign of teenagers suffering from stress. They say that 8. ( watch) Away from it all helps teenagers forget about the pressures of exams and homework 9. the troubles that fill the world today. They also say that it's a good sign of today's young people switching to happier TV series as it shows they would like a happier and 10. ( healthy) world.
At the end of my senior year of high school, I got a job working at a local coffee shop. I thought the job would be _______ and free of stress, and pictured myself pouring the best coffee, _______ delicious doughnuts(面包炸圈), and becoming friends with _______ customers.
I wasn't _______ the people with enormous orders, the women who _______ that the coffee was much too creamy, or the men who wanted their iced coffee remade again and again until they reached _______. I couldn't seem to _______ anyone.
One a rainy day, one of my regular customers came in looking _______ . He said he felt like getting in bed, _______ the sheets up over his head, and staying there for a few years. I knew exactly how he felt.
Before he left, I handed him a bag along with his iced coffee. He was ________ , since he hadn't ________ anything but coffee. I had given him his favorite type of doughnut.
“It's on me.” I told him. “Have a nice day.”
He smiled and ________ me, before heading back out into the ________.
The next day, it is still raining. I spent my afternoon ________ of the window handing people their orders.I was completely wet and freezing cold. Worse, no one was tipping that day. Every time I looked into our empty tip jar, I grew more ________.
In the evening, the ________ from the day before drove up to the window. He handed me a pink ________ and a note.
The note read:
Christine,
Thanks for being so sweet, kind and ________ yesterday. It is so nice to meet someone who's genuinely nice. Please don't change your way! Have a great day!
-Hank
After that, whenever I felt depressed or ________ of coffee, I thought of Hank and his kindness. Then I would smile, hold my head up high, clear my ________ and ask politely, “How can I help you?”
1.A.hopeful B.meaningless C.enjoyable D.boring
2.A.getting B.eating C.cooking D.making
3.A.regular B.handsome C.rich D.kind
4.A.imaging B.expecting C.waiting D.insisting
5.A.praised B.complained C.realized D.thought
6.A.explanation B.guidance C.challenge D.perfection
7.A.improve B.move C.please D.annoy
8.A.angry B.happy C.excited D.upset
9.A.pulling B.cutting C.tearing D.using
10.A.worried B.surprised C.angry D.excited
11.A.ordered B.got C.wanted D.brought
12.A.helped B.praised C.admired D.thanked
13.A.road B.rain C.shop D.company
14.A.taking charge B.running across C.making use D.hanging out
15.A.depressed B.embarrassed C.frightened D.injured
16.A.old man B.adult C.teenager D.customer
17.A.pill B.coffee C.rose D.dessert
18.A.selfish B.thoughtful C.distant D.powerful
19.A.sick B.glad C.satisfied D.sorry
20.A.chest B.body C.throat D.hand