How should one invest a sum of money in these clays of inflation (通货膨胀)? Left in a bank it will hardly keep its value, however high the interest rate. Only a brave man, or a very rich one, dares to buy and sell on the Stock Market. Today it seems that one of the best ways to protect your savings, and even increase your wealth is to buy beautiful objects from the past. Here I am going to offer some advice on collecting antique clocks, which I personally consider are among the most interesting of antiques.
I sometimes wonder what a being from another planet might report back about our way of life. "The planet Earth is ruled by a mysterious creature that sits or stands in a room and makes a strange ticking sound. It has a face with twelve black marks and two hands. Men can do nothing without its permission, and it fastens its young round people's wrists so that everywhere men go they are still under its control. This creature is the real master of Earth and men are its slaves（奴隶）."
Whether or not we are slaves of time today depends on our culture and personality, but it is believed that many years ago kings kept special slaves to tell the time. Certain men were very clever at measuring（量） the time of clay according to the beating of their own hearts. They were made to stand in a fixed place and every hour or so would shout tire time. So it seems that the first clocks were human beings.
However, men quickly found more convenient and reliable（可靠的） ways of telling the time. They learned to use the shadows cast by the sun. They marked the hours on candles, used sand in hour- glasses, and invented water-clocks. Indeed, any serious student of antique should spend as much time as possible visiting palaces, stately homes and museums to see some of the finest examples of clocks from the past.
Antique clocks could be very expensive, but one of the joys of collecting clocks is that it is still possible to find quite cheap ones for your own home. After all, if you are going to be ruled by time, why not invest in air antique clock and perhaps make a future profit（收益）?
1.According to the passage, collecting antique clocks____.
A.can hardly keep the value of your savings
B. will cost much of your savings
C. may increase your wealth
D. needs your bravery
2.By quoting (引用) the remark of a being from another planet, the author intends to____.
A. suggest human beings are controlled by a clock
B. describe why clocks can rule the planet Earth
C. tell readers what clocks look like
D. compare chocks to human beings
3.Which of the following is NOT mentioned as a way to measure the time?
A. Counting the beating of one's own heart.
B. Making use of candles, sand and water.
C. Observing shadows cast by the sun.
D. Keeping slaves busy day and night.
4.The underlined phrase stately homes in paragraph（段落）4 means_________.
A. state-owned houses
B. houses in very good condition
C. grand houses open to the public
D. houses where statesmen meet regularly
5.The purpose of the passage is________.
A. to introduce the culture of antique clocks
B. to offer some advice on collecting antique clocks
C. to compare different ways to make a future profit
D. to explain convenient and reliable ways of telling time
Almost every Chinese person can recite the two lines of the famous poem, “Every grain on the plate comes from hard work(谁知盘中餐，粒粒皆辛苦).” But sadly, many of us don’t actually get the real meaning of these lines: Don’t waste food.
A CCTV program, News One Plus One, reported that the food Chinese people throw away every year is enough to feed 200 million people for a year.
Do we have too much food? Of course not. According to the UN World Food Program, there were 925 million hungry people around the world in 2010, especially in developing countries. Six million children die of hunger every year.
Chinese people are well known for being hospitable(好客的) and generous. Many even feel that they lose face if their guests have eaten all the food on the table.
Luckily, a number of people have realized the importance of saving food. Last November, Li Hong, a waitress in a restaurant in Nanjing, got fired because she took some leftover food home for her son. Many people stood by her side and criticized the waste of food.
What should we do in our daily lives to waste less food? Here are some tips:
1. Do not order too much in a restaurant. Only order as much as you want to eat. If you cannot eat all the food you ordered, take the rest of it home.
2. Don’t be too picky(挑剔的) about food. Some food may not taste great, but your body needs it.
3. Keep an eye on what food you have at home. Don’t buy too much, especially for vegetables and fruit.
1.How many people were hungry in the world in 2010 according to the UN World Food Program?
A. 200 million. B. Six million.
C. 925 million. D. 625 million.
2.What does the writer want to show us through Li Hong’s story?
A. Many Chinese restaurants waste a large amount of food.
B. Many Chinese people are kind-hearted and ready to help the weak.
C. Chinese people feel that they lose face if their guests eat all the food.
D. Many Chinese people don’t agree with the behavior of wasting food.
3.The underlined word “leftover” means in Chinese.
A. 过期的 B. 剩余的
C. 腐烂的 D.难吃的
4.According to the passage, we shouldn’t waste food because .
A. food comes from very hard work
B. six million children die of hunger every day
C. there is enough food to feed all the people
D. Chinese are hospitable and generous
5.Which of the following is a good way to save food?
A. Ordering more than you need at a restaurant.
B. Taking home restaurant leftovers.
C. Not knowing what you already have at home when shopping.
D. Not eating the food you don’t like even if it’s healthy.
Early last year, two young brothers in Jiangsu Province badly burned while playing. The“game”they were playing was they had watched in the cartoon Pleasant Goat and the Big Big Wolf （《喜羊羊和灰太狼》）.The brothers were two little goats while their friend was playing a bad wolf . Their friend tied them a tree and set fire to the grass around them.
The sad story is an example of how many children follow the violence（暴力） they see on television, especially cartoons. It is that violent cartoons can make children more aggressive（具有攻击性的）. In a survey, researchers the children after watching non-violent and violent cartoons. They found that the kids who watched violent cartoons fought with others and class rules more often.
Children under the age of seven are too to understand that the violence on TV can bring
real harm. It is parents’ job them understand it.
1.A. areB. isC. wereD. was
2.A. somethingB. anythingC. everythingD. nothing
3.A. eatingB. buyingC. watchingD. playing
4.A. withB. toC. inD. at
5.A. reportB. reporter C. reportedD. reporting
6.A. advisedB. askedC. calledD. compared
7.A. brokeB. followedC. obeyedD. made
8.A. youngB. oldC. smallD. little
9.A. himB. themC. weD. you
10.A. helpB. to helpC. helpingD. helped
Do you know the man_______ saved five people in the fire?
A. who B. it C. when D. whom
The old man was so_______ the good news that he couldn’t say a word.
A. interested in B. excited about
C. afraid of D. worried about
_______ may have a chance to be successful if he tries his best.
A. None B. Nobody
C. SomebodyD. Everybody
