Nowadays, many of us track our steps with smart watches, pedometers (计步器) or phone apps and are of course thrilled when we reach that all-important daily goal of 10,000 steps. You might_______that this number has appeared after years of research.

The_______number ''10,000'' dates back to a marketing campaign_______shortly before the start of the1964 Tokyo Olympic Games. A company began_______a pedometer called the Manpo-kei: ''man'' meaning 10,000, ''po'' meaning_______and ''kei'' meaning meter. It was hugely _______and the number seems to have stuck. Many buyers are appealed by the new device.

Since then, studies have_______the health benefits of 5,000 with 10,000 steps and, not _______，the higher number is better. But until recently, all the_______between hadn’t been studied. I-Min Lee, a professor of________at Harvard Medical School, and her team________a group of more than 16,000 women in their seventies. Each woman spent a week________a device to measure movement during________hours. When they________the women up an average of four years and three months later, 504 died. How many steps do you think the people alive had been doing? In fact, the average number for________was only 5,500 but not 10,000. Women who took more than 4,000 steps a________were significantly more likely to still be alive than those who did only 2,700 steps. It's surprising that such a small________could have consequences for longevity (寿命).

However, physical conditions________from person to person, and we should do it wisely. So count if you find it ________ you, but remember there’s nothing special about 10,000 steps. Set the goal that is________for you.

1.A.assume B.admit C.acquire D.afford

2.A.delicate B.ordinary C.abstract D.magic

3.A.recommended B.launched C.stated D.commanded

4.A.marketing B.purchasing C.manufacturing D.donating

5.A.walkers B.runners C.steps D.numbers

6.A.thoughtful B.successful C.plentiful D.powerful

7.A.identified B.displayed C.compared D.compromised

8.A.excitingly B.disappointingly C.amusingly D.surprisingly

9.A.signs B.strengths C.symbols D.numbers

10.A.psychology B.mathematics C.medicine D.philosophy

11.A.focused on B.took part in C.got along with D.thought highly of

12.A.associating B.wearing C.undertaking D.claiming

13.A.walking B.sleeping C.running D.shaking

14.A.remarked B.distinguished C.acquainted D.tracked

15.A.women B.deaths C.survivors D.people

16.A.day B.hour C.month D.week

17.A.distance B.growth C.decrease D.difference

18.A.separate B.reflect C.vary D.recover

19.A.distracts B.motivates C.indicates D.accumulates

20.A.challenging B.appropriate C.beneficial D.creative

Do Actions Speak Louder than Words?

Our society is fast paced. We are all rushing from one place to the next, blowing our horn at slow drivers who may be singing songs in the car with their children or pointing out some interesting sights. We don't have time for that silliness today. But we try to say to ourselves that we will make time for fun tomorrow. It is time to take a few deep breaths and think about our actions and our words. 1.

Have you ever really thought about the saying “Actions speak louder than words”? Think about it now. If you say one thing and act in an opposite way, will the words be ignored and just the actions remembered? I don’t think so. 2. It is also equally important to use words to show appreciation, love, approval and happiness and then follow those words with a hug, pat on the back or smile.

3. What about that saying? True? Yes! Words carry a lot of weight and will be remembered for years especially when they are written down. Mean words can hurt for that moment and for a lifetime. I am sure that each of us remembers a time when a friend made an unkind comment. 4. Let’s not be a member of that “club”. When was the last time that you hid a love note in a lunch box or in your mate’s coat pocket? If you want to see a bright smile, that will do it! The power of this written note will be remembered for many days, even years.

“I can live for two months on a good compliment(夸奖)”, said Mark Twain. Children grow stronger when they feel appreciated and understood. 5. A perfect way to turn a bad day around is to praise your child. “I noticed that your hair looked very nice today.” “Did you hang your coat up all by yourself?” It is amazing how those few words can change a child's outlook... almost immediately. Don’t stop there... One of my sisters ended a phone conversation with three words －“I love you”! Boy, that put a spring in my step! Mark Twain is right. I still feel the positive effect of those three little but very powerful words.

A.The pen is more powerful than the sword.

B.Is it really reasonable to do something like that?

C.Do they display the attitude that we want to convey?

D.It is important to have your words match your actions.

E.Behavior is a mirror in which everyone shows his image.

F.Those words did lasting damage to you, the relationship or both.

G.Don’t be afraid to shower your child with encouraging words all day long.

    How does an ecosystem(生态系统)work？What makes the populations of different species the way they are？Why are there so many flies and so few wolves？To find an answer，scientists have built mathematical models of food webs，noting who eats whom and how much each one eats.

With such models，scientists have found out some key principles operating in food webs. Most food webs，for instance，consist of many weak links rather than a few strong ones. When a predator(掠食动物)always eats huge numbers of a single prey(猎物)，the two species are strongly linked；when a predator lives on various species，they are weakly linked. Food webs may be dominated by many weak links because that arrangement is more stable over the long term. If a predator can eat several species，it can survive the extinction(灭绝)of one of them. And if a predator can move on to another species that is easier to find when a prey species becomes rare，the switch allows the original prey to recover. The weak links may thus keep species from driving one another to extinction.

Mathematical models have also revealed that food webs may be unstable，where small changes of top predators can lead to big effects throughout entire ecosystems. In the 1960s，scientists proposed that predators at the top of a food web had a surprising amount of control over the size of populations of other species---including species they did not directly attack.

And unplanned human activities have proved the idea of top-down control by top predators to be true. In the ocean，we fished for top predators such as cod on an industrial scale，while on land，we killed off large predators such as wolves. These actions have greatly affected the ecological balance.

Scientists have built an early-warning system based on mathematical models. Ideally，the system would tell us when to adapt human activities that are pushing an ecosystem toward a breakdown or would even allow us to pull an ecosystem back from the borderline. Prevention is key，which scientists says because once ecosystems pass their tipping point(临界点)，it is remarkably difficult for them to return.

1.What have scientists discovered with the help of mathematical models of food webs？

A.The living habits of species in food webs.

B.The rules governing food webs of the ecosystems.

C.The approaches to studying the species in the ecosystems.

D.The differences between weak and strong links in food webs.

2.A strong link is found between two species when a predator______

A.has a wide food choice B.can easily find new prey

C.sticks to one prey species D.can quickly move to another place

3.What conclusion can be drawn from the examples in Paragraph 4？

A.Uncontrolled human activities greatly upset ecosystems.

B.Rapid economic development threatens animal habitats.

C.Species of commercial value dominate other species.

D.Industrial activities help keep food webs stable.

4.How does an early-warning system help us maintain the ecological balance？

A.By getting illegal practices under control.

B.By stopping us from killing large predators.

C.By bringing the broken-down ecosystems back to normal.

D.By signaling the urgent need for taking preventive action.

    You can’t walk into the office without Rihanna’s voice singing “work work work work work work” in your head. And that one line from Lady Gaga’s “Bad Romance” still makes you want to scream. These are commonly known as earworm songs—those sticky tunes that continue to play in your head. A recent study finds that more than 90% of adults report hearing earworm songs on a weekly basis.

Fortunately, most people report earworm songs as pleasant. But others find them annoying or even maddening. “Some people are troubled by them to the point that it disturbs life,” says Elizabeth Hellmuth Margulis, a professor at the University of Arkansas who has studied earworm songs.

Margulis says earworm songs tend to have some predictable characteristics. For one thing, they tend to small parts of a song—not the whole track. And “the songs you’ve heard recently also have the most possibility to get stuck in your memory,” she says.

But sometimes something strange and unpredictable can also start a track paying in your head. “Once I was at the doctor’s office and saw a poster of a man who I thought looked like Gaston—a character from Beauty and the Beast,” Margulis recalls. A couple minutes passed, and she realized she couldn’t get “Be Our Guest”, the song in the movie, out of her head, even though she hadn’t thought of the tune in years. In that instance, she was able to identify her earworm’s trigger: the Gaston-looking man in the poster. “But the connections can be really unclear,” she says.

Margulis points out that, in all of human history, recorded music is a very new phenomenon. She says some have inferred that earworm songs are also new—the unintended consequence of being able to hear the same song played everywhere in the same way over and over again. So far, the convincing explanation for why human beings experience earworm songs remains a mystery. But there are some well-established ways to cast off the earworm songs.

“Finding a mentally demanding task and putting your mind on it usually shifts attention away from internal music. People tend to get earworms when performing tasks that don’t require their full attention—stuff like doing the dishes,” Margulis says.

Chewing gum can also help. When a song is stuck in our heads, it’s almost like we’re singing along with it. If you make your mouth do something else—chewing gum, eating a meal or talking with a friend—that can kick out the earworm.

You could also face your enemy. By listening to the full track that includes the passage stuck in your head, you may find “closure” and relief.

1.Which of the following is most likely to be an earworm song?

A.A song made up of simple words.

B.A song heard frequently these days.

C.A song sung by a most famous singer.

D.A song learned during one’s childhood.

2.What does the underlined word “trigger” in Paragraph 4 mean?

A.Type. B.Tune.

C.Cause. D.Characteristic.

3.We can infer that earworm songs may ________.

A.result from modern technology B.be experienced over meals

C.help regain lost memories D.hurt one’s hearing

4.What is mainly talked about in the last three paragraphs?

A.Why we hear earworm songs. B.Where to find earworm songs.

C.When we hear earworm songs. D.How to get over earworm songs.

    I once heard this tale in India, where it is told as if true—though any naturalist would know it couldn’t be. The country is India. A colonial official and his wife are giving a large dinner party. They invite army officers and their wives, and a visiting American naturalist.

A spirited discussion springs up between a young girl who says women are no longer the jumping on a chair at the sight of a mouse and an army officer who disagrees and says, “A woman’s  reaction in any crisis is to scream. And a man has more control than a woman.”

The American scientist does not join in the argument but sits and watches the faces of the other guests. As he stares, he sees a slight strange expression come over the face of the hostess. She gestures to the servant standing behind her chair and whispers to him. The servant’s eyes widen. He turns quickly and leaves the room. Of the guests, none except the American notices this or sees the servant place a bowl of milk on the balcony just outside the open glass doors.

In India, milk in a bowl means only one thing: bait (诱饵) for a snake. The American understands there must be a snake in the room. His eyes move across the room but see nothing. He realizes the snake can only be in one place — under the table.

His first reaction is to jump back and warn the others. But he knows any sudden movement will frighten the animal into striking. He speaks quickly, the tone of his voice so arresting that it quietens everyone. “I want to know what control everyone here has. I will count three hundred—that’s five minutes — and not one of you is to move a muscle. Ready!”

The 20 people sit like stone images while he counts. He is saying, “—two hundred and eighty—”  When out of the corner of his eyes, he sees the snake make for the bowl of milk. Four or five screams ring out as he jumps to close the balcony doors.

“There is your proof!” the host shouts. “A man has just shown us perfect self-control.”

“Just a minute,” the American says, turning to his hostess, “How did you know that snake was in the room?” With a faint smile coming across her face she replies: “Because it was lying across my foot.”

1.What can we conclude from the passage?

A.Women are afraid of mice.

B.The army officer’s opinion is wrong.

C.The American suggests playing a game for entertainment.

D.The hostess has had previous experience catching snakes.

2.Choose the right order of the events given in the passage.

a. The American’s eyes sweep the room but he sees nothing.

b. The American suggests the guests playing a game.

c. Following the instructions, the servant puts out some milk.

d. The hostess is staring ahead, a slight strange look appearing.

e. The American shuts the balcony doors safely, and several screams are let out.

f. The snake edges its way to the bowl of milk.

A.d,c,a,b,f,e B.a,b,c,e,f,d

C.d,f,a,b,c,c D.f,e,c,a,d,b

3.Who has real self-control according to the passage?

A.The American. B.The army officer.

C.The girl. D.The hostess.

4.What may be the best title for the passage?

A.A Heated Argument B.A Striking Dinner Party

C.An Unbelievable Story D.A Smart Hostess

Kids Flying Alone Guide

Before the flight:

Try to book a morning flight. If it is delayed or canceled, you have the rest of the day to make alternate planes. Make sure your child doesn’t wear any clothing that has his or her name on it, which would make it easier for a stranger to convince a child he can be trusted.

At the airport:

Make sure the flight attendants know that your child is traveling alone. Make sure that he or she will be seated in an area of the aircraft that’s convenient for attendants to keep an eye on — the very front of very back of the aircraft is ideal.

Register your child’s travel plans with the U. S. State Department, which can provide assistance in an emergency. This is a free service.

What to pack:

Cell phone: If your child doesn’t have a cell phone, buy him or her a pay-as-you-go phone at a cell phone retailer (零售店) so he or she has an easy form of communication for emergencies.

Gift cards: Invest in a few pre-paid gift cards worth $ 25 or $ 50, This will reduce the worry of traveling with a large amount of cash.

Family/ friends contact information: Give your child a complete list of names, numbers and addresses of the people who are picking your child up at the airport.

1.How much should you pay if your child aged eleven travels alone on a connecting flight by Frontier Airlines?

A.$ 50. B.$ 75.

C.$ 120. D.$ 160.

2.What can we learn from the passage?

A.Juice or water can’t be brought onto the aircraft.

B.Unaccompanied children can’t fly on the last flight of the day.

C.Pay-as-you-go phones are provided for free at the airport for children without cell phones.

D.Parents can register children’s travel plans with the U. S. State Department for free.

3.Which of the following is recommended for unaccompanied children?

A.Booking them morning flights.

B.Giving them a large amount of cash.

C.Making them sit in the middle of the aircraft.

D.Dressing them in clothing with their names on it.

    假设你叫李华，是一家英文杂志社的心理咨询师。某中学生小王给你写信，提到自己偏胖，想节食减肥，征求你的意见。请你给她回一封信，谈谈你对该问题的见解。内容要点如下：

1．健康比漂亮更重要；

2．学生以学习为主，不要过于注重外貌和别人的看法；

3．可通过多锻炼身体保持健康，要改变不良的饮食习惯；

4．健康的心态也很重要。

注意：  1．短文必须包括所有内容要点，可适当发挥；

2．词数：100左右。    3．参考词汇：state of mind 心态

Dear Xiao Wang,

___________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________

Yours

下面短文中共有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(∧), 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：在错的词下面划一横线，并在该词下面写出改正后的词。

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。

My family took an amazed trip to the northwest last summer. At the first ,we flew to Lanzhou but then visited the famous Iron Bridge there.We also tasted Lanzhou beef noodles, which were the most delicious noodles I had never had.  Two days late， we went to the Mogao caves on the Silk Road. That impressed me most was the fantastic wall paintings.  Finally，we reach our final destination，the Qinghai Lake，surrounded by mountains. The scenery was unbelievable beautiful. We found volunteers collecting rubbishes along the bank and we joined them too.  Only then I realize we could make a difference to our environment.

    Li Hua and Wang Hai are two students of Senior Three. 1. of them work hard but they have various learning methods.

Li Hua listens to her teachers 2. (attentive) and asks her teacher 3. help as soon as possible if she has some problems. Because of this, she spends less time 4. (do) her homework, so it is 5. (certainly) that she can keep energetic in the day. However, Wang Hai has quite a 6. (difference) way of learning 7. (compare) to Li Hua. He likes to sit up late at night doing his homework, so he often feels sleepy in class. As a result, he misses lots of key points, 8. makes it difficult for him 9. (concentrate) on what he is doing.

In my opinion, Li Hua learns more effectively in class and has more free time to enjoy herself. So I prefer 10. (she) learning method.

    Are you fond of laughing and smiling? Do you like laugh and smile? How much do you laugh and smile during the day? Do you take your life and your illness____ injury so seriously that there is no room for joy to fill you? Want a totally free, simple way to lift your ____ and improve your health with no medicine needed? Then laughing and smiling is ____ to you.

So laugh your way to happiness. ____ it takes to put a smile on your face is what you should be doing. Research shows that laughing can increase the immune system, ____ the body to stay disease free and fight colds and the flu.

If you are facing an illness, having a positive life opinion and a ____ of humor will keep your body open to healing. If you are healthy, laughing will help to make sure you stay that way, and can ____ enjoyment to your work and home life and ____ your daily stress.

Certainly, it can be ____ to keep a positive opinion of life all the time. Simply taking the time to ____ on the positive and treat for the good things ____ in your life can help remarkably, but if you are struggling with ____ emotions that you just can' t seem to ____ , there are tools that can help.

There are so many things out there to   smile about and ____ you have to do is find ____ . Practice looking for the bright __ of every situation. Avoid the negative: don't ____ yourself with your own problems ——or ____ others for their “shortcomings”. And don't pay no attention to the joy in everyday things. Create your own “Laugh for Health” ____ anything to add to your collection and to give you fresh materials that ____ to you.

1.A.but B.or C.yet D.still

2.A.burdens B.spirits C.loads D.values

3.A.beneficial B.changeable C.suitable D.harmful

4.A.However B.Whenever C.Whatever D.Whichever

5.A.helping B.making C.letting D.causing

6.A.taste B.sense C.knowledge D.joy

7.A.adjust B.adapt C.apply D.add

8.A.improve B.arise C.cancel D.reduce

9.A.hard B.awful C.energetic D.helpful

10.A.absorb B.put C.focus D.interview

11.A.carefully B.thankfully C.particularly D.differently

12.A.negative B.active C.strong D.positive

13.A.seek B.stress C.accept D.overcome

14.A.all B.that C.how D.why

15.A.it B.that C.this D.one

16.A.side B.plan C.activity D.future

17.A.depend B.abandon C.load D.ban

18.A.praise B.miss C.approve D.blame

19.A.ambition B.summary C.message D.collection

20.A.appeal B.apply C.center D.assume

How to Pick a Good Book

It’s not news that we spend more time texting and surfing online than ever. But a recent study shows that more teenagers are reading good old-fashioned and ink-on-paper books. Reading is a good way to widen your knowledge and learn about yourself. You probably know how to find the best application programs for your phone. 1.

1.Start with your interests

Reading on your own isn’t like reading for school. 2.It could be ancient martial arts, computers, or fashion design. If you can name the subject, you can find books about it.

2. Find your “type”

3. Books of fiction, like novels or short-story collections, can transport you to another world or help you to imagine something beyond your own experience. Not all fiction is the same. Try some different types of fiction and see which one you prefer. Non-fiction books give you the “who”, “what”, “when” and “why” of something. They tell stories using facts, but that doesn’t mean they are dull.

3.Read the “blurb(简介)”

The reviews and quotes on the back and inside covers of many books are known as “blurbs”. These comments not only give you an idea of what the book is about, but also help you to pick out future books. If you find a book you really like, take a minute to read the blurb and see which authors praised the book.4.

4. 5.

Your local library can provide you with a lot of great books. Explain your interests and mention any writer you like, and the librarian can point you towards books that you will like. Then you can enjoy what you’re reading in a quiet place.

A. Often, they will have similar styles, and you might find you like books by those authors, too.

B. You can pick something that suits your interests.

C. Read in a quiet place.

D. Do you prefer fiction or non-fiction?

E. Ask an expert.

F. It is necessary to work out what the book is mainly about before reading.

G. But do you know how to pick a book that you will really like?

As health care costs continue to rise, a growing number of companies are working out programs designed to keep their employees healthy.

Thomas Chapple is the senior vice president. “It’s really important to us because medical costs are going up like crazy, he says. This company spends more than 200 million a year on medical costs for its employees around the country. The best thing we have seen as a way to control the medical cost is individual fitness.”

We have a fitness center, “Shawn Flaherty, director of public relations for Freddie Mac.,” says, “We have a health benefits plan that encourages people to work out three times a week, get cholesterol (胆固醇) checks, as well as ‘not to smoke.’ If they do that, it will cost them less for the health benefits.”

Rachelle Clark works for Freddie Mac. “I feel great. You know the benefit is rewarding. I like to look good and feel healthy. I am just fortunate that I work for the company that provides some type of facility for the employees.”

While on-site fitness centers are popular, some companies pay membership fees at local gyms for employees. The companies also offer classes such as boxing, yoga and dancing. Employees see those health programs as a valuable benefit.

Tom Brook exercises five days a week. As a newspaper reporter he has a tight schedule, although Tom says it’s not that difficult for him to make time for a workout. “It is great. It is right here where we work,” says Tom, “So everybody gets a chance to use it whenever they want to. I have lost weight and never been in better shape.”

The programs may not be a magic cure for rising health costs, but they seem to have a positive impact on both employers and employees.

1.What’s the best way to cut the medical cost according to Shawn Flaherty?

A. To reduce the number of employees around the country.

B. To encourage the employees to work out to keep fit.

C. To set up fitness centers of their own.

D. To pay membership fees at local gyms for the employees.

2.Why does the writer cite (引用) what Rachelle Clark and Tom Brook say?

A. To explain how to use the fitness centers.

B. To show how effective physical exercise is.

C. To show the employees welcome the health programs.

D. To persuade more employers to set up health centers.

3.Which of the following best expresses the meaning of the underlined part?

A. The programs may not solve the health costs problem completely.

B. The programs may keep the health costs rising.

C. The programs may not cost a large amount of money.

D. The programs may cure all kinds of patients like magic.

4.What is the text mainly about?

A. How difficult it is to reduce health care costs

B. Why and how companies encourage their employees to keep fit.

C. . What causes the health care costs to rise year by year.

D. How people keep healthy by doing exercise in their working places.

    As a rule, a child who has once been happy with a tale likes to have it retold in almost the same words, but this should not lead parents to treat printed fairy stories as formal texts. It is always much better to tell a story than read it out of a book, and, if a parent can produce what, in the actual situation of the time and the child, is an improvement on the printed text, so much the better.

A charge made against fairy tales is that they harm the child by frightening him or making him sad thinking. To prove the latter, one would have to show in a controlled experiment that children who have read fairy stories were more often sorry for cruelty than those who had not. As to fears, there are, I think, some cases of children being dangerously terrified by some fairy story. Often, however, this arises from the child having heard the story once. Familiarity with the story by repetition turns the pain of fear into the pleasure of a fear faced and mastered.

There are also people who object to fairy stories on the grounds that they are not objectively true, that giants, witches, two-headed dragons, magic carpets, etc. do not exist; and that, instead of being fond of the strange side in fairy tales, the child should be taught to learn the reality by studying history. I find such people, I must say, so peculiar(奇怪的) that I do not know how to argue with them. If their case were sound, the world should be full of mad men attempting to fly from New York to Philadelphia on a stick or covering a telephone with kisses in the belief that it was their beloved girlfriend.

No fairy story ever declared to be a description of the real world and no clever child has ever believed that it was.

1.The author considers that a fairy story is more effective when         .

A.it is repeated without any change B.it is treated as a joke

C.some changes are made to it by a parent D.it is set in the present

2.According to the passage, great fear can take place in a child when the story is       .

A.in a realistic setting B.told in a different way

C.repeated too often D.heard for the first time

3.The advantage claimed for repeating fairy stories to young children is that it       .

A.develops their power of memory B.makes them less fearful

C.makes them believe there is more to be afraid of D.encourages them not to have strange beliefs

4.One of the reasons why some people are not in favor of fairy tales is that       .

A.they are full of history B.they make teachers of history difficult to teach

C.they are not interesting D.they are just made up of unreal stories

    Recently a new US study has shown that couples who expect their children to help care for them in old age should hope they have daughters because they are likely to be twice as attentive overall.

The research by Angelina Grigoryeva, a sociologist at Princeton University, found that, while women provide as much care for their elderly parents as they can manage, men do as little as they can get away with and often leave it to female family members.

Using data from the University of Michigan Health and Retirement Study, a study which has been tracking a cross-section of over-50s for the last decade, she calculated that women provide an average of 12.3 hours a month of care for elderly parents while men offer only 5.6 hours.

“Whereas the amount of elderly parent care daughters provide is associated with limitations they face, such as employment or childcare, sons’ caregiving is connected only with the presence or absence of other helpers, such as sisters or a parent's spouse （配偶）,” she explained.

“Sons reduce their relative caregiving efforts when they have a sister, while daughters increase theirs when they have a brother.”

“This suggests that sons pass on parent caregiving responsibilities to their sisters.”

In the UK, the 2011 census （人口普查）showed that there are now around 6.5 million people with caring responsibilities — a figure which has risen by a tenth in a decade.

But many are doing so at the risk of their own health. The census showed that those who provide 50 hours or more of care a week while trying to hold down a full-time job are three times more likely to be struggling with ill health than their working counterparts （相对应的人）who are not careers.

1.What does the underlined phrase “is associated with” in Paragraph 4 mean?

A.is faced with B.is related to

C.is filled with D.is fond of

2.According to the study we know that    .

A.American couples are preferring daughters to sons a lot

B.sons are twice likely as daughters to care for parents in old age

C.having a brother makes women do their share less

D.men tend to take less care of their parents than women

3.Which of the following statements is true?

A.The number of people providing care has increased by 6.5 million.

B.More people have left behind their work to look after the elderly.

C.Many people who both work and care others can be threatened by health problems.

D.People shouldn't take much responsibility to care for the old.

4.What's the attitude of the author in the article?

A.Positive. B.Subjective.

C.Objective. D.Negative.

Good news! Job offered.

Science Technician

Term time plus 10 days, 37 hours per week

We are looking for a technician to provide a technical support service for science teaching staff. Applications are to be received no later than midnight on 10th February 2019.

Receptionist Administration

Full time

A receptionist is required from 1st February 2019 at Dartford Science & Technology College. The position is only from 8:30 am to 4:30 pm Monday to Thursday and 8:30 am to 4:00 pm Friday, with an hour's break for lunch every day. The successful applicant must have a good telephone manner, good interpersonal skills and IT skills.

Health & Social Care Teacher

Our client, an 11—18 mixed comprehensive school in Ealing, West London, is currently seeking a teacher for Health & Social Care. The position will be a full-time post until July 2020. We require an energetic teacher to develop the learning potential of students. We are seeking someone with excellent subject knowledge who can combine academic strictness and achievement with enjoyment of teaching Health & Social Care.

If you are keen to work, click the button below.

1.The receptionist to be employed will work           .

A.20 hours a week B.37 hours a week

C.38.5 hours a week D.34.5 hours a week

2.who is needed in a school in Ealing, West London.

A.A full-time science teacher

B.A teacher with the ability to get along with people

C.A teacher with excellent knowledge about Health & Social Care

D.A technician who can provide a technical support service

3.The text is likely to appear          .

A.on the Internet B.in a novel

C.in a magazine D.in a newspaper

我国正提倡建设“节约型社会”，下图为某校两个学期用水、用电、用纸的情况。请对其进行简要分析，以 “How to build an economized society”为题，写一篇作文，谈谈自己的想法。

文章须包括以下要点：

节电：及时关闭电灯、电脑等用电设备

节水：随手关闭水龙头；废水利用

节纸：纸张再利用

补充：自己日常生活所感所为

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

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处错误，每句中最多有两处。错误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(Λ)，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。

Last summer, to my delighted, I got a chance to go to the United Kingdom. I was eager to see what England was like. Although my parents objected to my decision at first, but finally they were persuaded. It was the first time that I have travelled abroad alone. Felt excited, I boarded the plane. Suddenly, however, I found my luggages gone and felt helplessly. It was on that moment that an airhostess came to my assistance. After helping me find it back, she suggested that I attached a label to my suitcase on my next journey. I was thankful to the kind lady for his help! What unforgettable trip!

阅读下面材料，在空白处填入适当的内容（不少于3个单词）或括号内单词的正确形式。

This summer I travelled from noisy Beijing to Wuzhen, a beautiful village in Zhejiang Province. Unfolded before me was 1. unique image of this water country—the stone bridge and the water flowing, all like fairy tales to me.

However, 2. impressed me most was not the natural scenery but the scene of a grandma bathing a little baby in a wooden basin with the door open. My friends couldn’t help 3. (take) pictures of them. To my surprise, the grandma smiled and waved at us. All of a sudden, my heart was filled with 4. (warm).

I shared the photo and my 5. (forget) experience with my friends. They were 6. (simple) moved as I was, but at the same time they reminded me of the unpleasant experiences in big cities. We feel embarrassed to see people quarreling in public because they 7. (step) on accidentally by strangers.

According to a recent survey 8. (make) in November 2016: 45 percent of the residents don’t know the names of their neighbors; 63 percent have never devoted 9. (they) to talking to their neighbors; 67 percent think that the relationship between them and their neighbors is just so-so, or even bad.

Wouldn’t it be beautiful to say hello to our neighbors who just came back 10. work and give them a smile?

    In 1982 Steven Callahan was crossing the Atlantic alone in his sailboat when it struck something and sank. He was out of the shipping lanes and floating in a life raft, _______ . His supplies were few. His _______ were small. Yet when three fishermen found him seventy-six days later, he was alive—much skinnier than he was when he _______ , but alive.

The thing that _______ my eye was how he managed to keep himself going when all hope seemed lost, when there seemed no _______ in continuing the struggle, when he was suffering greatly, when his life boat was broken with a hole and after more than a week struggling with his weak body to _______ it, it was still leaking air and wearing him out to keep pumping it up. He was_______. He was thoroughly _______ . Giving up would have seemed the only wise choice.

When people survive these kinds of circumstances, they do something with their _______ that gives them the courage to keep going. Many people in ________ desperate circumstances give in or go mad. Something the survivors do with their thoughts helps them find the ________ to carry on.

“I tell myself I can ________ it,” wrote Callahan in his account. “Compared to what others have been ________ , I’m fortunate. I tell myself these things over and over, ________ my determination to keep going.”

I wrote that down after I read it. It ________ me as something important. And I’ve told myself the same thing when my own goals seemed ________ off. And every time I’ve said it. I have always come back to my ________ .

So here, coming to us from the extreme edge of ________ , are words that can give us strength. ________ you’re going through, tell yourself you can handle it. Tell this to yourself over and over, and it will help you get through the ________ spots with a little more determination.

1.A.aloud B.alone C.aside D.aboard

2.A.fish B.holes C.crew D.chances

3.A.started B.arrived C.rose D.disappeared

4.A.covered B.hurt C.caught D.entered

5.A.point B.companion C.sailor D.opportunity

6.A.board B.abandon C.save D.fix

7.A.starved B.attacked C.disturbed D.sunburnt

8.A.excited B.exhausted C.amazed D.shocked

9.A.tools B.dreams C.minds D.hands

10.A.similarly B.physically C.mentally D.differently

11.A.luck B.direction C.courage D.compass

12.A.handle B.delay C.realize D.overlook

13.A.into B.for C.against D.through

14.A.bringing out B.building up C.putting forward D.taking away

15.A.frightened B.struck C.disappointed D.surprised

16.A.far B.low C.heavy D.bright

17.A.status B.crossroads C.tracks D.senses

18.A.survival B.voyages C.oceans D.experiment

19.A.However B.Whoever C.Whatever D.Whichever

20.A.smooth B.rough C.easy D.comfortable

Ways to Stop Doubting Yourself

What if I don't pass this test? Are my friends just hanging out with me because they feel bad for me? 1. Stop! The self-doubt stops right here. Here are some ways to beat the negative self-talk and start believing in yourself.

●Be Aware.

The first step towards overcoming anything is to become aware of it. By becoming aware that we are doubting ourselves, we can sooner confirm it and put a stop to it. As we realize our self-doubt, we will get quicker at confirming and stopping it. See? 2.

●Take a Break.

Sometimes it is our mind that goes against us. Whenever you find yourself having doubts, take a break.

3. Ask yourself what made you get into this goal. It will get you to realize why you started it in the first place.

●4.

Too often we determine how we feel about ourselves according to what other people feel about us. Our self-worth is just dependent upon what we think of ourselves .So we must break free of the chains that tell us our self-worth is recognized by other people.

●Find Support.

5. Find support through friends and read other inspirational websites. Sometimes we all need to hear something that will get us moving again. We just need to reach out to others who understand us.

A.Take It Slow.

B.Free Yourself.

C.Give yourself time to think.

D.It’s not always easy doing things alone.

E.This is already a step in the right direction.

F.What if I never figure out my life’s purpose?

G.Because once you give up, no one can help you.

    There are hundreds of grape varieties in Japan, but only one can sell for several hundred dollars per grape. The Ruby Roman was cultivated in Japan’ s Ishikawa Prefecture and is considered one of the world’ s most expensive fruits.

The story of Ruby Roman began in 1995, when Ishikawa grape farmers appealed to the government to create a large red grape variety. 400 experimental vines（葡萄树）were planted into a test field. Two years later; they started bearing fruit. However, out of the 400 vines, only 4 turned out to be red grapes, and only one of them was considered large enough to meet the farmers’ expectations. Over the next 14 years, researchers constantly improved its size, taste, color and ease of planting, and today Ruby Roman is considered a “treasure of Ishikawa”.

In 2008, soon after making its commercial debut（首秀）, the Ruby Roman grape variety made international headlines after a 700-gram bunch sold for 10,000 yen（$910）, or $26 per grape. Eight years later, a 26-grape bunch sold for 1.1 million yen（$11,000）, or roughly $370 per grape.

While the Ruby Roman name is used to describe a type of grapes, every bunch must meet very strict standards. For example, every grape in the bunch must weigh at least 20 grams and have a sugar content of at least 18 percent. There is also a Premium class of Ruby Roman grapes—each grape must weigh over 30 grams, and the whole bunch must be at least 700 grams heavy.

Most bunches of Ruby Roman grapes are sold through auctions（拍卖）, but Premium Ruby Rose are extremely difficult to find. For example, in 2010, only six bunches of grapes were certified Premium, and in 2011 no bunches qualified for it.

And if you’ re wondering how the Ruby Roman name came to be, it was apparently voted by local residents（居民）out of 639 different names.

1.The underlined word“cultivated”in the first paragraph can be best replaced by”_________”.

A.discovered B.preserved

C.developed D.promoted

2.According to the second paragraph, Ruby Roman _________.

A.is widely planted in Japan B.does not come easily

C.used to be a treasure of Ishikawa D.is more productive than expected

3.What’s the author’s purpose in listing a number of figures in paragraph 3 ?

A.To explain how large Ruby Roman grapes are.

B.To tell how profitable planting Ruby Roman is.

C.To prove how popular Ruby Roman is globally.

D.To show how expensive Ruby Roman grapes are.

4.What does the text say about the Ruby Roman grape?

A.It’s named after its birthplace.

B.It isn’t available in abundance.

C.It doesn’t refer to only one grape variety.

D.Its price has nothing to do with its color.

    Most female fashion models start their careers（事业）in their late teens and retire in their early 30s, but 96-year-old Alice Pang isn’t an ordinary fashion model. She started modelling at 93.

Alice always liked dressing well and looking elegant, but never actually considered a career in modelling. But her granddaughter always thought she had it in her, so when she saw an online ad for senior models of 65, she sent in Alice’ s pictures and she was chosen for a photo shoot. Never one to back away from a challenge, Pang decided to give it a shot and even though she knew nothing about modelling, she had all the natural qualities to succeed in it. Today, she is recognized as one of the best senior models in Asia, as well as the oldest.

Born in 1923, Alice never dreamed she’ d one day be modelling for high-end fashion brands like Gucci, Ellery or Valentino, let alone at age 96. But her wonderful skin color and excellent posture（姿势）—uncommon qualities for people of her age—make her one of the most sought-after senior models in the business.

Surprisingly, Alice doesn’t credit exercise or a strict diet for her enviable figure and posture. Even though she agrees that exercise helps some people stay in good shape, she doesn’t even have a morning exercise routine, crediting her good genes（基因）instead. She says her skin is white because she’ s seldom exposed to the sun and she has a straight back.

While most people praise her for her active lifestyle and the courage to start a whole new career in her nineties, some say she should dress and act according to her age. She chooses to ignore them, though, saying that her personal happiness is all that counts.

1.What makes Alice Pang a special fashion model?

A.Her unusually long modelling career.

B.Her being famous worldwide at an old age.

C.Her not retiring from modelling in her early 30s.

D.Her starting the career decades later than normal.

2.According to the text, Alice is a person who ________.

A.doesn’t give up easily

B.is quite fond of competing with others

C.doesn’t do anything she is unfamiliar with

D.often dreams of being a professional model

3.In Alice’ s opinion, her good shape is ________.

A.completely natural B.quite unexpected

C.due to her strict diet D.the result of regular exercise

4.What can be inferred about Alice from the last paragraph?

A.Active as she is, she is rather stubborn.

B.She always turns a deaf ear to others’ opinions.

C.There are different voices on her present lifestyle.

D.She thinks personal happiness comes before modelling.

    Last week I did something that scared me. I stood in front of nearly 200 financial planners and I talked to them about why financial blogs are a good thing. I'm a confident writer. I've been doing this long enough that I know my strength and my limitations. I'm less confident as a speaker. I don't have time to pause to collect my thoughts. I'm not able to edit. I'm afraid of being trapped in a corner without being able to talk my way out. Basically, I'm scared to speak.

It would be easy to simply refuse the chances that come my way. When somebody asks me to speak in front of a group, I could say "no". When radio and television stations call for an interview, I could say "no". But for the past two years, I've been following my own policy to say "yes" to new chances.

To say "yes" is to live in fear. My goal is to continually improve myself to become better than I am today. One way to do that is to do the things that scare me, to take them on as challenges, and to learn from them—even if I fail.

In mid-November, a local station asked me to appear on live television. "I realize it's short notice," the producer wrote, "but we'd love to have you on the show if you're available tonight." I was frightened. I thought about recent taped television interviews that I had hated. I was afraid of what might happen.

But I also thought about the things that had gone right. I thought of how my speaking skills had improved over the past year. And then I thought of the book I was reading, a book that I had bought for $1.29 at the local store. The Magic of Thinking Big was a huge bestseller during the 1960s. Written by Dr. David Schwartz, a professor at Georgia State University, the book contains dozens of practical tips on how to take risks to achieve big goals. Schwartz argues that nobody will believe in you until you believe in yourself.

So when the television producer asked if I wanted to appear on his show, I thought big. "Sure," I said. "I'll do it." I acted confidently, but on the inside I was frightened. What I needed was techniques to build up my confidence and to overcome my fear.

1.Why is the author afraid of speaking in public?

A.He is aware of his potential. B.He has few chances to talk.

C.He is not able to edit what he says. D.He likes writing better.

2.The underlined words "my own policy" in Paragraph 2 probably mean ________.

A.self-improving through challenges

B.hesitating before chances

C.turning down the invitations

D.saying yes to fear

3.The author mentioned the book The Magic of Thinking Big mainly because ________.

A.it was inspiring B.it was a bestseller

C.its author was famous D.its price was attractive

4.What is the author's purpose to write the passage?

A.To analyze his strength and weaknesses.

B.To give practical tips on speaking in public.

C.To persuade people to follow his example.

D.To share his experiences of overcoming fear.

    China is a big country, and there is no simple answer to the question “When is the best time to visit China? ” There are two best times to visit China, depending on your preference.

October

Things to do: hike on the Great Wall, photography tour

Places to visit: Beijing, Xi’an, Shanghai, Guilin,Jiuzhaigou, Chengdu

The best time to go to China is early autumn (October).

Most of China has warm temperatures, and the summer rains have stopped (apart from around HongKong and Sanya) so it’s pretty dry. The autumnn colours are also amazing. It is quiet at tourist attractions for most of the month, as the summer holiday travel crowds have gone. But try to avoid October 1 st -7 th, which is the Chinese National Day holiday, as attractions, transport and hotels are packed with Chinese tourists and prices go up a lot.

Late Spring (April to May)

Things to do: appreciate flowers, Li River cruise, ethnic festivals

Places to visit: Beijing, Xi’an, Guilin, Huangshan, GuiZhou, Zhangjiajie

The second-best time to travel to China is probably in April and May, when the flowers are in bloom and the temperatures are warming up. In late spring, temperatures across China are getting into the 20s (℃), except the extreme northwest and northeast. While the North of China is still dry, the summer rains have already begun in the South. This could actually improve the view in the form of mountain fog in mountainous areas like the Li River and the Yellow Mountains.

Ethnic festivals in GuiZhou are concentrated in April and May, such as the Sisters’ Meal Festival. If you are interested in Miao and Dong ethnic cultures, this is a good time to visit.

Travel prices are average: cheaper than June to October, but more expensive than the lower season from November to March.

1.Which time is best if you want to attend the ethnic festivals in GuiZhou?

A.April 25 th. B.June 17 th. C.October 1 st. D.November 9 th.

2.Which are the best places to visit in both October and late spring?

A.Beijing and Zhangjiajie. B.Shanghai and GuiZhou.

C.Xi’an and Guilin. D.Huangshan and Jiuzhaigou.

3.Why is late spring the best time to visit Huangshan?

A.Because the summer rains haven’t come yet.

B.Because the wet weather adds to its beauty.

C.Because there are several special festivals there.

D.Because the prices are the lowest of the year.

假如你是李华，在你校学习的美国交换生David和你成为了好朋友，并且在他的帮助下你的英语学习取得了很大的进步。在他结束学习回国之后, 请用英语给他写一封感谢信。内容应包括：

1. 表达思念；

2. 感谢帮助；

3. 希望保持联系。

注意事项：

1. 不得透露真实姓名和学校

2. 词数：100左右

3. 开头和结尾已写出，不计入词数

Dear David ,

How time flies! It’s been a total week since you left our school.

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Best wishes

Yours,

Li Hua

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。作文中共有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（∧），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。

As it is known to us, fewer and fewer students do sports regularly, what makes them weak and easily tired.

There are many reasons about this. First of all, some of the students complain that they have too many homework, result in less time to take exercise. Beside, some of them think that it is very difficult for them to keep doing exercise, because it is very hard thing.

For lack of physical activities, many students were in poor health. I suggest that our school must take measures to encourage more students to take part in sports. For us students, no matter what busy we are, it is necessary to spare some time to do exercise.

阅读下面材料，在空白处填入适当的内容（每空不多于3个单词）或括号内单词的正确形式。

When someone has deeply hurt you, it can be very difficult to let go of your anger. But forgiveness is possible—and it can be surprisingly 1. (benefit) to your physical and mental health. So far, research 2. (show) that people who forgive can have more energy, better appetite and better sleep. “People who forgive show 3. (little) anger and more hopefulness,” says Dr. Frederic Luskin, who wrote the book Forgive for Good. “So it can help reduce the tiredness out of the immune system and allow people  4. (feel) more energetic.”

So when someone has hurt you, cool down first. Take a couple of breaths and think of something  5. gives you pleasure: a beautiful scene in nature, or someone you love. Don’t wait for an  6.  (apologize). “Many times the person who hurt you may never think of apologizing,” says Dr. Luskin. “They may have wanted to hurt you or they just don’t see things in 7. same way. So if you wait for people to say sorry, you could be waiting a very long time.”

Next keep in mind that forgiveness does not necessarily mean 8.(accept) the action of the person who upsets you. Instead, learn to look  9.the love, beauty and kindness around you. Finally, try to see   things from the other person’s perspective. You may realize that he or she was acting out of ignorance. To gain perspective, you may want to write a letter to 10.(you) from that person’s point of view.

阅读下面短文，掌握其大意，然后从短文后各题所给的四个选项（A、B、C和D）中，选出可以填入空白处的最佳选项，并在答题纸上将相应选项的标号涂黑。

I have been paralyzed(瘫痪) from the neck downwards since I was born in 1971 and spent my life wheelchair-bound. However, ____1____ this I have been lucky enough to travel the world, develop a (an) ___2_____ career and establish a supportive group of family and friends.

Growing up in a home full of love, __3______ and faith, my parents and siblings (兄弟姐妹) helped me to live a ___4_____ normal life. However, it was through ____5____ that I was able to ____6____ normal childhood activities, _____7___ I was able to feel the ____8____ by drawing young girls dancing and running, which my ____9____ kept me from participating in.

As a young girl I had an art exhibition in my hometown of Copenhagen __10______ my artwork. The local paper ____11____ my exhibition and printed an article and photos of me with my paintings. Upon seeing this article, an international organization the Mouth and Foot Painting Artists (MFPA) ____12____ and offered me a scholarship，which helped develop my ___13_____ abilities and ____14____ my career as a painter by providing me with ____15____ for art classes and materials. I have been with the MFPA for 14 years and I paint with my ___16_____. Like all the artists I make my living through the _____17___ of reproductions of my paintings in the form of cards and calendars which are sold directly to the public. Through the MFPA, which has been helping 802 mouth and foot painters like me to create a ___18_____ future since 1957, I am ____19____ surrounded by fellow mouth and foot painters, who have _____20___ and assisted me with my work.

1.

A.in terms of B.in spite of

C.in face of D.in honor of

2.A.successful B.regretful C.painful D.helpful

3.A.hope B.determination C.courage D.support

4.A.relatively B.completely C.extremely D.especially

5.A.painting B.dancing C.singing D.running

6.A.explain B.experience C.create D.accept

7.A.though B.if C.because D.so

8.A.strength B.stress C.joy D.challenge

9.A.interest B.family C.disability D.friends

10.A.selling B.displaying C.trading D.buying

11.A.considered B.designed C.mentioned D.attended

12.

A.got in touch B.came across

C.kept away from D.made use of

13.A.athletic B.artistic C.scientific D.cultural

14.A.stop B.destroy C.find D.further

15.A.clothes B.wheelchair C.funding D.walking stick

16.A.hand B.foot C.mouth D.arm

17.A.show B.sale C.display D.storage

18.A.upset B.lonely C.discouraging D.positive

19.A.finally B.constantly C.hardly D.only

20.A.inspired B.persuaded C.refused D.noticed

根据短文内容，从短文后的选项中选出能填入空白处的最佳选项。选项中有两项为多余选项。

During a research experiment a marine(海洋) biologist placed a shark into a large holding tank and then released several small fish into the tank.1.The marine biologist then inserted a strong piece of clear fiberglass（玻璃纤维）into the tank, creating two separate parts. She then put the shark on one side of the fiberglass and a new set of small fish on the other.Again, the shark quickly attacked. This time, however, the shark hit the fiberglass divider and bounced off.2.Meanwhile, the small fish swam around unharmed in the second part. Eventually, about an hour into the experiment, the shark gave up.This experiment was repeated several dozen times over the next few weeks.3.Eventually the shark got tired of hitting the fiberglass divider and simply stopped attacking altogether.The marine biologist then removed the fiberglass divider, but the shark didn’t attack.4.So, they swam wherever they wished, free from harm.Like the shark in the story, many of us, after experiencing setbacks and failures, emotionally give up and stop trying.5.In other words, we continue to see a barrier in our heads, even when no ‘real’ barrier exists between where we are and where we want to go.

A.At the same time, the shark tried again and again.

B.We believe that because we were unsuccessful in the past, we will always be unsuccessful.

C.The shark was trained to believe a barrier existed between it and the small fish.

D.It kept repeating this behavior every few minutes fruitlessly.

E.We should keep on trying even if we meet obstacles.

F.Each time, the shark got less aggressive and made fewer attempts to attack the small fish.

G.As you would expect, the shark quickly swam around the tank, attacked and ate the smaller fish.

Every day, millions of shoppers hit the stores in full force—both online and on foot—searching for the perfect gift. Aside from purchasing holiday gifts, most people regularly buy presents for other occasions throughout the year, including weddings, birthdays, anniversaries, graduations, and baby showers. This frequent experience of gift-giving can causeambivalentfeelings in gift-givers. Many enjoy the opportunity to buy presents because gift-giving offers a powerful means to build stronger bonds with one’s closest persons. At the same time, many fear the thought of buying gifts; they worry that their purchases will disappoint rather than delight the intended receivers.

What is surprising is that gift-givers have considerable experience acting as both gift-givers and gift-recipients, but nevertheless tend to overspend each time they set out to purchase a meaningful gift. In the present research, we propose a unique psychological explanation for this overspending problem — i.e., that gift-givers equate how much they spend with how much receivers will appreciate the gift (the more expensive the gift, the stronger a gift-recipient’s feelings of appreciation). Although a link between gift price and feelings of appreciation might seem intuitive (凭直觉得到的) to gift-givers, such an assumption may be unfounded. Indeed, we propose that gift-receivers will seldom tend to base their feelings of appreciation on the significance weight of a gift than givers assume.

Why do gift-givers assume that gift price is closely linked to gift-recipients’ feelings of appreciation? Perhaps givers believe that bigger (i.e., more expensive) gifts convey stronger signals of thoughtfulness and consideration. According to Camerer (1988) and others, gift-giving represents a symbolic ritual(礼节), by which gift-givers attempt to signal their positive attitudes toward the intended receiver and their willingness to invest resources in a future relationship. In this sense, gift-givers may be motivated to spend more money on a gift in order to send a “stronger signal” to their intended receiver. As for gift-receivers, they may not consider smaller and larger gifts as representing smaller and larger signals of thoughtfulness and consideration.

In practical terms, people spend hundreds of dollars each year on gifts, but somehow never learn to measure their gift expenses according to personal insight.

1.The underlined word “ambivalent” most nearly means ________.

A.unrealistic B.conflicted C.appreciative D.supportive

2.The authors indicate that people value gift-giving because they feel it ________.

A.functions as a form of self-expression

B.is an inexpensive way to show appreciation

C.requires the gift-receivers to return

D.can serve to strengthen a relationship

3.The authors refer to work by Camerer and others in order to__________.

A.offer an explanation B.introduce an argument

C.question an intension D.support a conclusion