Howard Dill is a giant among giant pumpkin(南瓜) growers. He grew world champion pumpkins for four years running，from 1979 to 1982, and missed winning the fifth year by only 5 pounds. Today, his Dill Atlantic Giant seeds are sold worldwide to more than 50 seed companies. The pumpkins grown from his Dill Atlantic Giant seeds commonly weigh in at over 1,000 pounds. “I don’t have any training in genetics(遗传学); it was all trial and error,” Dill says. He got his love of pumpkins from his father and has enjoyed growing them for years.
Dill still grows giant pumpkins, but not for competition. In the fall, visitors come to enjoy the pumpkins on his 90-acre farm in Nova Scotia, Canada. He plants ten acres of pumpkins for Halloween and two acres of giant pumpkins. One of giant pumpkins was recently baked into 442 pumpkin pies and sold at $5 each for charity.
It you want to try growing a giant pumpkin, Dill recommends starting with a soil test and then adding fertilizer(农药) as needed. Plant the giant pumpkin seed. A giant pumpkin can gain 15 to 20 pounds a day, so careful watering—every day or two—is necessary. You should wait about 130 days until the pumpkin matures and then you can harvest it.
Dill’s favorite pumpkin set the Guinness Book record in 1981. It weighted 493.5 pounds. “I’ve grown them larger since, but that one meant a lot,” he remembers. “I never would have imagined ten
years ago that there would be a 1,000-pounder, but there are many of them now,” says Dill. The 2006 world record holder is Larry Checkon of Pennsylvania. He grew a 1,469 pounder. Dill says, “These world champions are grown from my seeds, so I feel like a winner right along with them.”
1.What can we learn about the world champion pumpkin of 1983?
A. It weighed over 1,000 pounds.
B. It was missing after the competition.
C. It was 5 pounds heavier than that of 1982.
D. It was 5 pounds heavier than Dill’s biggest one that year.
2. One of Dill’s giant pumpkins earned .
A. $2210 B. $442 C. $1000 D.$1469
3. In the third paragraph Dill mainly tells about .
A. how to do a soil test
B. how to plant the giant pumpkin seed
C. when to water the pumpkin
D. how to grow a giant pumpkin
4.Which of the following is the best title for the passage?
A. Gardening Giant: Howard Dill
B. World Champion Pumpkin
C. Dill Atlantic Giant Seeds
D. How to Grow Giant Pumpkins
Australia has passed regulations that will enable more international students to further their education in the country.
The new measures were released by the Australian Department of Tertiary Education, Skills, Jobs and Workplace Relations in September and will take effect in mid-2012.
As a result, the student visa(签证) application process for overseas students has been simplified, and the deposit(押金) required to study in Australia has been reduced. Language requirements for overseas students have also been eased.
Also, overseas students receiving a higher education in Australia will be given a working visa lasting from two to four years after graduation, as long as they meet the basic IELTS requirement.
“This change will definitely make Australia a more attractive destination for Chinese students planning to study overseas,” says Wang Lan, an expert from Education International Cooperation Group(EIC), a Beijing-based company that provides services to students wishing to study overseas.
However, in the past few years, many of Wang's student clients(客户) could not start studies in Australia because they did not meet the language requirements, visa processing took a long time and deposit regulations were difficult. The change in policy is good news for the parents of students wishing to study in Australia, Wang says.
A 22-year-old female student surnamed Li, in Beijing, who is planning to do her postgraduate studies in Australia, learned about the policy change several weeks ago.
“According to the previous deposit requirement for my student visa, my family was required to put down 550,000 yuan($86,850). Now we only need to prepare 410,000 yuan. This is a relief for my parents,” Li says.
She also says that the two to four years working visa makes her feel much clearer about her study plans.
“I believe several years of working experience abroad will strengthen my competitiveness when I return to China,” she says.
Gaining a competitive advantage is the major reason for Chinese students to study abroad, according to the report by EIC.
1.What’s the main idea of the passage?
A. Language requirement for overseas students have been eased in Australia.
B. Australia is a most attractive place for students in China.
C. Australia widens window of opportunity for international students.
D. More students will work in Australia after their graduation.
2.After the new regulations are passed, .
A. more students will come to Australia to work
B. more Chinese students will choose to live in Australia
C. the opportunities to work in Australia decrease for overseas students
D. more Chinese students will choose to further their education in Australia
3.How much can Li’s parents save according to the new regulations?
A. 550,000 yuan. B. 140,000 yuan. C. 410,000 yuan. D. 86,850 yuan.
4.Why do many students want to work in Australia after their graduation?
A. The working experience abroad will strengthen their competitiveness.
B. They can earn more money in Australia.
C. Their working experience can make them stay in Australia forever.
D. They have to do so according to the new regulations.
Lynn was a young French Canadian girl who grew up in the farming community. At the age of l6, her father thought that she had enough schooling and forced her to drop out of school to contribute to the family income. In l922, with limited education and skills, the future didn’t look bright for Lynn. Her father demanded that Lynn find a job as soon as possible, but she didn’t have the confidence to ask for a job.
One day, Lynn gathered her courage and knocked on her very first door. She was met by Margaret Costello, the office manager. In her broken English, Lynn told her she was interested in the secretarial position. Margaret decided to give her a chance.
Margaret sat her down at a typewriter and said, “Lynn, let’s see how good you really are.” She directed Lynn to type a single letter, and then left. Lynn looked at the clock and saw that it was 11:40 a.m. Everyone would be leaving for lunch at noon. She thought she should at least attempt the letter.
On her first try, she got through one line but made four mistakes. She pulled the paper out and threw it away. The clock now read 11:45. “At noon,” she said to herself, “I’ll move out with the crowd, and they will never see me again.”
On her second attempt, things didn’t get any better. Again she started over and finally completed the letter, full of mistakes, though. She looked at the clock: 11:55—five minutes to freedom.
Just then, Margaret walked in. She came directly over to Lynn, and put one hand on the desk and the other on the girl’s shoulder. She read the letter and paused. Then she said, “Lynn, you’re doing good work!”
Lynn was surprised. She looked at the letter, then up at Margaret. With those simple words of encouragement, her desire to escape disappeared and her confidence began to grow. She thought, “Well, if she thinks it’s good, then it must be good. I think I’ll stay!”
Lynn did stay at Carhartt Overall Company…for 51 years, through two world wars and 11 presidents—all because someone had the insight to give a shy and uncertain young girl the gift of self-confidence when she knocked on the door.
1.Why did Lynn leave school at an early age?
A. To learn English well.
B. To earn money for her family.
C. To get self-confidence.
D. To become a typist.
2.When Lynn applied for the job, she .
A. could speak good English
B. didn’t know much about typing
C. knew Margaret very well
D. never wrote any letter
3.How many attempts did Lynn make to type the letter?
A. One. B. Two. C. Three. D. Four.
4.Who does the underlined word “someone” in the last paragraph refer to?
A. Lynn’s father. B. Lynn herself. C. A president. D. Margaret.
5.What can we learn from Lynn's story?
A. Encouragement makes a difference.
B. Honesty is the best policy.
C. Virtue(美德) leads to success.
D. Time waits for no man.
One morning Raman, a true master of the art of archery(箭术), invited his favorite student to watch a display of his skill. The student had 36 this more than a hundred times before, but he still obeyed his 37 .
Together, they went into a nearby wood and reached a tall 38 . Raman picked a rose flower and 39 it on one of the branches of the tree. He 40 opened his bag and took out three objects: his 41 , an arrow and a white handkerchief.
Raman stood one hundred paces from the spot where he had placed the 42 . Facing his target, he 43 his student to blindfold(蒙住眼睛) him with the handkerchief. The student did as his teacher 44 .
“How often have you seen me practice the sport of archery?” Raman asked him 45 .
“Every day,” replied his student. “And you have 46 managed to hit the rose from three hundred paces away.”
With his eyes covered by the 47 , Raman placed his feet firmly on the ground and 48 the bowstring(弓弦) with all his strength. Aiming at the rose on the 49 , he let the arrow fly. The arrow whistled through the air, 50 it did not even hit the tree, missing the target by a few meters.
“Did I 51 it?” said Raman, removing the handkerchief from his eyes.
“No, you missed 52 ,” replied the student. “I thought you were going to 53 me the power of thought and your ability to perform magic.”
“I have 54 taught you the most important lesson about the power of thought.” replied Raman. “When you 55 something, concentrate only on that: No one will ever hit a target they cannot see.”
1.A. thought B. seen C. heard D. felt
2.A. teacher B. boss C. father D. monitor
3.A. wall B. tree C. pole D. house
4.A. buried B. educated C. signed D. placed
5.A. first B. now C. then D. finally
6.A. bow B. hammer C. apple D. knife
7.A. arrow B. shoe C. flower D. bag
8.A. advised B. expected C. encouraged D. asked
9.A. planned B. imagined C. requested D. promised
10.A. angrily B. calmly C. disappointedly D. sadly
11.A. never B. almost C. always D. also
12.A. cloth B. handkerchief C. paper D. leaf
13.A. drew back B. brought up C. held back D. took off
14.A. ground B. branch C. tip D. root
15.A. and B. for C. so D. but
16.A. touch B. learn C. miss D. hit
17.A. completely B. suddenly C. quickly D. carefully
18.A. show B. give C. offer D. lend
19.A. again B. even C. just D. seldom
20.A. buy B. find C. notice D. want
-----Mr. Smith, can I come to ask for some advice on my paper at any time?
-----Yes, of course. .
A. If you’re convenient B. At your convenience
C. That’s right D. Don’t mention it
Being asked if he could come to the party that night, .
A. nobody said anything
B. they didn’t get an answer from him
C. nothing was said by him
D. John nodded his head and left the room
