One year, a newspaper of the United States published an announcement-the Horticultural (园艺) Institute offered a reward at a high price for the pure white marigold (金盏花). The high reward attracted so many people, but in nature besides golden, the marigold is brown；it is not easy to create the white one. So after they were excited for a time, many people forgot that announcement.
One normal day after 20 years, the Horticultural Institute accidentally received a letter and 100 seeds of pure white marigold. On that day the news spread like wildfire. It turned out to be an old woman of over 70 years old. The institute had always been hesitating over the fact that the letter stated with certainty that the seeds could bloom(开花) pure white marigold.
Those seeds finally took root in the earth. The wonder appeared after one year: large fields of pure white marigold swung in the light wind. As a result, the old woman became a new focus.
Originally, the old woman was just a flower-lover. When she happened to read the announcement 20 years ago, her heart kept beating wildly. But her eight children all opposed her decision. After all, a woman who never knew the seed genetics(遗传学) couldn't complete what the experts could never accomplish! Still, the old woman didn't change her mind and went on working without hesitation. She spread some of the most common seeds and took good care of them. A year later, when the marigold bloomed, she chose one faintest (暗淡) from those golden and brown flowers and made it wither (凋谢) naturally in order to get the best seed. The next year, she again grew them and chose the faintest from these flowers to plant Year after year, through many cycles of spring sowing and autumn harvest, the old woman's husband died; her children flew far and high; a lot of things happened in her life but only the desire to grow the pure white marigold took root in her heart. Finally, after 20 years on the day we all know, in the garden, she saw a marigold, which was not nearly white but as white as silver or snow.
Such a difficult problem as even experts couldn't cope with was readily solved by an old woman who didn't understand genetics. Was it a wonder? Take root in the heart and even the most common seed can grow into a wonder!
1.Why was a great reward offered by the Institute?
A.White flowers could be sold at a higher price
B.Pure white marigold was more beautiful in nature
C.It was very difficult to develop pure white marigold
D.Scientists wanted to know how marigold grew in nature
2.What can we know about the old woman from the passage?
A.She was 70 when she first read the announcement.
B.She sent pure white marigold flowers to the institute.
C.She got professional support from scientists.
D.She kept trying for years before she succeeded.
3.The underlined word “readily” in the last paragraph probably means .
A.easily B.quickly
C.honestly D.luckily
4.What is the best title for the text?
A.Seeds Take Root in the Heart B.White Marigold is Never Alone
C.Marigolds Grow from Bravery D.White Flowers Bring Success
The traditional Chinese lunar calendar divides the year into 24 solar terms. Minor Snow, the 20th solar term of the year, begins this year on Nov.22 and ends on Dec.6.
Here are five things you should know about Minor Snow.
Light snow
An ancient Chinese book about plants explains that “in Minor Snow, the weather is cold and it is going to snow, but the snow is light and the earth is not frozen enough.”
Drinking soup
During Minor Snow, indoor heating begins to work, making most people might find their noses and mouths feel a bit dry. The solution is to drink more hot soup, such as cabbage and bean curd soup, mutton and radish (小萝卜) soup and so on.
Eating glutinous (粘的) rice cakes
People have glutinous rice cakes around Minor Snow, which in ancient times, were a traditional festival offering to the bull god.
Making preserved pork
After Minor Snow, the temperature declines sharply and the air becomes dry. It is the best time to start making preserved pork to eat in the bitter winter, especially in the Spring Festival. In the past, when storage conditions were poor, people developed many ways to store food and preserved pork is one such example. Some even say preserved pork tastes more delicious than fresh meat.
Avoiding spicy food
On cold days, people may be greedy for some hot and spicy food to keep warm.Experts say it’s wise not to eat overly spicy food since that will increase your inner heat.
1.Which of the following is true about Minor Snow?
A.It will certainly snow in this term.
B.It has the coldest days of the year.
C.It is a term used in China’s northern areas.
D.It is a term concerned with weather in China.
2.Which food is recommended to eat in Minor Snow?
A.Cabbage and bean curd soup. B.Preserved pork.
C.Cakes. D.Spicy food.
3.Why did people make preserved pork in the past?
A.Because people found it hard to store meat in cold winter.
B.Because it was more delicious to eat than fresh meat.
C.Because people couldn’t afford to buy fresh pork.
D.Because nowhere could people buy fresh pork in winter.
假定你是李华，在教师节来临之际，请以My Favourite Teacher 为题，给校报写一篇英语稿件，介绍你喜欢的一位老师，内容包括：1.年龄和外貌特征；2.主要教学特点；3.为什么喜欢他（她）。
注意：1.词数100左右；2．可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯；
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假定英语课上老师要求同桌之间交换修改作文，请你修改你同桌写的以下作文。文中共有10处语言错误，每句中最多有两处。每处错误仅涉及一个单词的增加、删除或修改。
增加：在缺词处加一个漏字符号（A），并在其下面写出该加的词。
删除：把多余的词用斜线（\）划掉。
修改：在错的词下划一横线，并在该词下面写出修改后的词。
注意：1.每处错误及其修改均仅限一词； 2.只允许修改 10 处，多者（从第 11 处起）不计分。
Dear Peter,
I am writing to tell you a wonderful news. Our school photography club is to hold an International Student Photography Exhibition, its theme is environmental protection. The exhibition will last three weeks. Those who is interested can sign up at the Student Union.
As far as I am concerned, particularly keen in taking photos, you are always having the desire do something for the environment. What impresses me most are the photos you took while you visit the park. Why not show it to everyone present at the exhibition? You can definitely make the different, calling on people to devote themselves to protect the environment. I would be more than delightedly if you could join us.
Yours,
Li Hua
Hundreds of people have formed impressions of you through that little device (装置) on your desk. And they’ve never actually ____ you. Everything they know about you ____ through this device, sometimes from hundreds of miles away. ____ they feel they can know you ____ from the sound of your voice. That’s how powerful the ____ is.
Powerful, yes, but not always ____. For years I dealt with my travel agent only by phone. Rani, my faceless agent whom I’d never met ____, got me rock-bottom prices on airfares, cars, and hotels. But her cold voice really ____ me. I sometimes wished to ____ another agent.
One morning, I had to ____ an immediate flight home for a family emergency. I ran into Rani’s office ____. The woman sitting at the desk, ____ my madness, sympathetically jumped up. She gave me a ____ smile, nodded while listening patiently, and then printed out the ____ immediately. ＂What a wonderful lady! ＂ I thought.
Rushing out ____ I called out over my shoulder, ＂By the way, what’s your name?＂ ＂I’m Rani,＂ she said. I turned around and saw a ____ woman with a big smile on her face waving to wish me a safe trip. I was ____! Why had I thought she was cold? Rani was, well, so ____.
Sitting back in the car on the way to the airport, I figured it all out. Rani’s ____ — her warm smile, her nods, her ‘I’m here for you’ ____ — were all silent signals that didn’t travel through wires.
1.A. accepted B. noticed C. heard D. met
2.A. came B. moved C. ran D. developed
3.A. Thus B. Yet C. Then D. Indeed
4.A. rather B. also C. just D. already
5.A. telephone B. voice C. connection D. impression
6.A. direct B. useful C. easy D. accurate
7.A. in person B. by myself C. in public D. on purpose
8.A. annoyed B. interested C. discouraged D. confused
9.A. promote B. train C. find D. know
10.A. arrange B. postpone C. confirm D. book
11.A. for the first time B. at any time C. from time to time D. in good time
12.A. expecting B. seeing C. testing D. avoiding
13.A. shy B. comforting C. familiar D. forced
14.A. bill B. form C. ticket D. list
15.A. hopefully B. disappointedly C. gratefully D. regretfully
16.A. careful B. serious C. nervous D. pleasant
17.A. amused B. worried C. helpless D. speechless
18.A. calm B. nice C. proud D. clever
19.A. forgiveness B. eagerness C. friendliness D. skillfulness
20.A. explanation B. attitude C. concept D. behavior
Food is life; it gives us the nourishment we need to stay alive and be healthy. Usually, we eat because we are hungry or need energy. Brian Wansink, a professor at the University of Illinois, says we also eat certain foods because they make us feel good, and remind us of happy memories. 1. For some people, ice cream is a comfort food. For others, a bowl of noodles makes them feel good.
2. Professor Wansink believes that we connect food with important times, feelings, and people in our lives. “When I was a child, my mother made a delicious soup; I loved it. 3. And it helps me feel better,” says one of Wansink's coworkers.
Do men and women choose different comfort foods? Wansink's research at the University of Illinois says “yes”. In his study, the favorite comfort for both men and women was ice cream. After this, men usually preferred hot, delicious foods like soup or noodles. 4. Men and women like to eat comfort foods when they are happy, but women eat these foods more when they are sad or worried.
5. About 40 percent of the comfort foods in Wansink’s study were healthy dishes or soups and vegetables. It shows, says Wansink, that a comfort food can taste good and be good for you.
A.Not all comfort food is junk food.
B.Where can we buy this sort of food?
C.Sweet foods are also their preference.
D.How does a food become comfort food?
E.Wansink calls this kind of food comfort food.
F.Women liked sweet things such as chocolate and candies.
G.Now, I often eat this soup when I am tired or worried.
