On any weekend throughout the year one can spend hours browsing through neighborhood flea (跳蚤) markets. These are very popular for those who are in search of bargains and who have a keen eye for picking through what others have discarded. They hunt and search for something they can reuse. Americans love secondhand merchandise (商品) which can be bought cheaply and restored to its original use. In many cases the condition and the quality are still good, though the style might be outdated.
For some people searching through flea markets is a hobby which reaps rewards. They look for possible antiques among the items for sale or for old furniture which can be restored with a little care and used again. Many wise collectors often find rare items worth much more than their bargained price. Since prices are usually not fixed, if one is persistent a bargain can easily be struck. The owner may be selling a rare collectable and may not even be aware of its value. One of the great pleasures of shopping at such markets is the chance to bargain with the shop owner and settle for a price which one can afford and is willing to pay.
Perhaps even more enjoyable than flea markets are the weekend outdoor garage sales which have now become very much a part of American culture. These are held usually in the spring and fall when the weather is still good. Usually a homeowner, having decided that he would like to clear his residence of accumulated items which are no longer useful to him, advertises in a local paper that he is holding a garage sale. More than likely the goods on display are in good condition and great buys can be found if one has the time and patience to search carefully. The home owner places items for sale on display along the driveway leading to his garage or on his front lawn and waits for people to look at what he has to sell. Old magazines, books, paintings, bicycles, ice-skates, items of clothing and electrical appliances of every sort appear on a regular basis. If the owner is in a position where he must sell his home or plans to move soon, then he may be forced to practically give things away at a price far below their true worth.
1.What do you usually do before holding a garage sale?
A. Put on an advertisement in a local newspaper. B. Display your goods in front of the garage.
C. Find rare items and fix their prices. D. Clear your garage and front lawn.
2.The underlined word “discarded” in Paragraph 1 probably means ____.
A. distributed B. rejected C. discovered D. stored
3.When people shop at a flea market, how can they settle on a price?
A. They can bargain on a price acceptable to both. B. They can question their value.
C. They can expect a 50% discount. D. They can compare with the other sellers.
4.What do we know about the garage sale?
A. It is only held in the spring of the year.
B. The goods on display are totally useless.
C. Garage sales are popular with Americans.
D. All the goods are selling far below their real value.
The house was quiet at 5 am and Tim' s mother was asleep. Only the sound of the big freezer broke the quiet. He’d dreamt of the cave last night. The purring (轻微颤动声) of the freezer had been the sea.
Tim pulled on a sweater and put some apples into his schoolbag. It was too early for breakfast. He'd eat after he’d been through the cave, sitting on the rocks and staring at the sea.
He wished he had a proper pack. His schoolbag would have to do. What else? Sandwiches---but his mother might wake up if he started pulling out bread for sandwiches, she' d want to know why he had to leave so early. He settled for some biscuits, and left a note stuck to the table:
Gone to Michael’s. Back tonight, Tim.
The sky was high and soft and light outside, though the sun still wasn't up. Even the highway up the hill was quiet as he made his way down the street. The wind from the sea was fresh and sweet.
The sandhills still breathed heat from yesterday’s sun, though the top of the sand was cool. He ran down to the beach impatiently, but there was no one, just dry sand dancing in the early wind and seabirds marching up and down watching the waves.
The light changed suddenly. The first rays of sunlight stretched (延伸) across the sea. The sun was pushing its way over the edge of the world.
Over the first rocks, along to the point. Tim glanced back. The beach was still empty. The sun sailed higher in the sky.
He could see the cave now, even darker in the morning light. The sand turned silver then dark gold as the water flowed away from it. He had to force himself to go closer. Why was it so much more mysterious (神秘的) now? But it would be silly to go back now after so much trouble. He needn't go in all the way. . .
1.What did Tim do at the beginning of the story?
A. He left the house quietly. B. He had breakfast at home.
C. He left a note on the freezer. D. He put a sweater in his schoolbag.
2."He settled for some biscuits” ( in Paragraph 3 ) means that Tim_______.
A. had to leave the biscuits on the table B. liked biscuits better than sandwiches
C. had to take biscuits instead of sandwiches
D. could only find some biscuits in the kitchen
3.What made it possible for Tim to see the entry to the cave?
A. The height of the first rocks. B. The ups and downs of the waves.
C. The change in the position of the sun. D. The vast stretch of the sunlit beach.
4.In the story, Tim's mood (心情) changed from_________.
A. loneliness to craziness B. anxiousness to excitement
C. helplessness to happiness D. eagerness to nervousness
Volunteers,
as an essential part of a successful world exposition, are a major channel for
the public to participate in, serve and share the world exposition and a means
to showcase the image of the host country and city. The following information
is about the volunteer for the World Exposition 2010 Shanghai China．
I．Requirements for
Volunteers
● Be willing to participate in voluntary services of Expo 2010;
● Age limit: Expo Site volunteers must be born before April 30,
1992 and Expo City Voluntary Service Station volunteers before
April 30, 1994;
● Obey the laws and regulations of the PRC;
● Be able to participate in training and relevant activities before the opening of Expo 2010 on May 1st;
● Possess necessary knowledge and skills needed by the position, one foreign language at least;
● Be in good health to meet the requirements of corresponding voluntary positions．
● Have previous experience of voluntary work.
II．Further Information for Volunteers
● Source
Residents of Chinese mainland, Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan, as well as overseas Chinese, and foreigners can all apply to be the volunteers．
● Signup methods
Applicants may log in onto the official websites for online signup．They may also consult or connect with the Expo Volunteer Stations．
● Time
May 1 - December 31, 2009
Ⅲ．Volunteer Training
Volunteer training includes general training, special training and position training．General training is carried out through internet, while special training and position training are provided through classroom lectures and field practice．
IV．Volunteer Types
● Expo Site volunteers refer to those offering voluntary services to visitors and the Organizer in the Expo Site, mainly including information, visitor flow management, reception, translation and interpretation(口译), assistance for the disabled, and assistance in media service, event and conference organization and．volunteer management．
● Information booth volunteers are stationed in the Expo's information booths at key transportation centers, commercial outlets, tourist attractions, restaurants, hotels and cultural event places outside the Expo Site．They offer services including information, translation, interpretation and even first aid．
1.According to the volunteer brochure, which of the following suits the position of Expo Site?
A．Li Hua, a retired Spanish teacher, still recovering from her leg operation.
B．Wang Ming, 19, a former voluntary interpreter of the United Nations.
C．Li Jing, a middle-aged researcher, who is to finish his field work at the end of April.
D．Hong Wei, 17, winner of an English speaking competition, looking for his first voluntary work.
2.Which of the training will be done on the Internet?
A．Position training． B．General training．
C．Classroom training． D．Special training．
3.Which of the following service is offered by information booth volunteers?
A．Visitor flow management． B．Helping the disabled
C．Assistance in media service． D．Emergency first aid．
A New Zealand fishermen caught what may prove to be a world-record-breaking colossal squid(鱿鱼).
In the cold, dark waters of the Antarctic hides a creature with eight arms, two super long tentacles(触须) and eyes as big as dinner plates. Sound like something out of a science fiction movie? Think again.
On February 21, New Zealand fishermen landed a colossal squid the length of a school bus. They had been fishing with long lines for Chilean sea bass in the waters off the coast of New Zealand when they caught the rare squid. With two hours of hard work, the crew skillfully pulled the creature into a net and dragged in aboard their ship.
Scientists evaluate that the animal weighs about a half ton and is about 40 feet long. That would make this colossal squid the biggest on record.
First identified in 1925 after two tentacles were found in a whale’s stomach, the colossal squid has long been a mystery. The animals are not easy to observe because they can go down to ocean depths of 6,500 feet. What scientists do know from studying the bodies of a half dozen colossal squids is that they are fierce hunters.
The recently captured colossal squid has been frozen to keep it for scientific study. It will be transported to New Zealand’s national museum, Te Papa, in the capital city of Wellington. Experts believe it to be the first adult male ever caught undamaged. Scientists hope to learn more about the colossal squid’s diet, behavior and reproductive(繁殖)patterns.
“Scientists will be very interested in this amazing creature, ”said New Zealand Fisheries Minister Jim Anderson. “It adds immeasurably to our understanding of the marine environment. ”
1.Why is it usually difficult for experts to observe the squid?
A. Because it moves too fast B. Because it is too large.
C. Because it is dangerous. D. Because it can go down to deep ocean.
2.What can be inferred from the passage?
A. The squid is from a science fiction story
B. The fishermen often meet colossal squids
C. Scientists know much about the colossal squid.
D. The fishermen had some difficulty catching the large squid.
3.What’s the purpose of catching such a huge squid?
A. To make it into food B. To set a world record
C. To do research on it D. To display it for visitors
4.What would be the best title for the passage?
A. The biggest squid ever found B. Scientific research on squid
C. The lifestyle of the colossal squid D. How the fishermen caught the squid
阅读下面短文，掌握其大意，然后从各题所给的四个选项（A、B、C和D）中，选出最佳选项
Years ago, when Barbara started looking for her first job, wise advisers urged, "Be enthusiastic! Enthusiasm will take you further than any amount of experience." How right they were. Enthusiastic people can 1a boring drive into an adventure, extra work into opportunity and strangers into friends.
"Nothing great was ever 2without enthusiasm," wrote Ralph Waldo Emerson. 3is the paste that helps you hang on there when the going gets tough. It is the 4voice that whispers, "I can do it!" when others shout, "No, you can't!"
It 5years and years for the early work of Barbara McClintock, a geneticist who won the 1983 Nobel Prize in medicine, to be generally accepted. Yet she didn't 6on her experiments. Work was 7a deep pleasure for her that she never thought of stopping.
As author and poet Samuel Ullman once wrote, "Years wrinkle(使起皱纹) the skin, but to give up enthusiasm wrinkles the soul." How do you rediscover the enthusiasm of your childhood? The answer, I believe, 8the word itself. “Enthusiasm” comes from the Greek and means "God within." And what is God within is but a long-lasting sense of 9-- proper love of self and, from that, love of others.
Enthusiastic people also love what they do, 10money or title or power. Patricia McIlrath, retired director of the Missouri Repertory Theater in Kansas City, was once asked where she got her enthusiasm. She replied, "My father, a lawyer, long ago told me, `I never made a dime until I stopped working for money.'" If we cannot do what we love as a full-time career, we can as a part-time hobby 11the head of state who paints, the nun(修女) who runs marathons, and the executive who handcrafts furniture.
Elizabeth Layton of Wellsville was 68 12she began to draw. This activity ended periods of depression that had 13her for at least 30 years, and the quality of her work led one critic to say, " I have to say, Layton is 14a genius." Elizabeth has 15her enthusiasm. ￥
We can't 16to waste tears on "might-have-beens." We need to turn the tears into sweat as we go after "what-can-be". We need to live each moment 17with all our senses -- finding pleasure in the fragrance of a back-yard garden, the 18picture of a six-year-old, and the enchanting beauty of a rainbow. It is such enthusiastic love of 19that puts a sparkle(火花) in our eyes, a lift in our steps and 20the wrinkles from our souls.
1.A. put B. make C. turn D. get
2.A. expected B. adopted C. predicted D. achieved
3.A. It B. That C. This D. As
4.A. slight B. outside C. inner D. low
5.A. spent B. took C. cost D. paid
6.A. give off B. give in C. give out D. give up
7.A. such B. so C. too D. rather
8.A. links with B. refers to C. lies in D. leads in
9.A. responsibility B. humor C. trust D. love
10.A. in case B. regardless of C. for fear of D. in terms of
11.A. like B. namely C. as D. likewise
12.A. after B. since C. before D. until
13.A. pleased B. shocked C. worried D. annoyed
14.A. nothing but B. anything but C. everything but D. something but
15.A. recalled B. reflected C. rediscovered D. remembered
16.A. pay B. afford C. affect D. provide
17.A. thoroughly B. absolutely C. wholeheartedly D. warm-heartedly
18.A. colored B. white C. green D. red
19.A. money B. title C. power D. life
20.A. pushes B. softens C. smoothes D. folds
----Promise you’ll never wear this kind of dress!
----________. What if I will give a performance?
A. It’s up to you B. That reminds me C. That depends D. I forget that
