What is your favorite color? Do you like yellow, orange, red? 1. Do you prefer grey and blue? Then you are probably quiet, shy, and you would rather follow than lead. You tend to be a pessimist(悲观者). At least, this is what psychologists(心理学家)tell us, and they should know, because they have been seriously studying the meaning of color preference, as well as the effect that colors have on human beings. 2. If you happen to love brown, you did so, as soon as you opened your eyes, or at least as soon as you could see clearly.
3. A yellow room makes most people feel more cheerful and more relaxed than a dark green one; and a red dress brings warmth and cheer to the saddest winter day.
4. A black bridge over the Thames River, near London, used to be the scene of more suicides(自杀者)than any other bridge in the area—until it was repainted green. The number of suicide attempts immediately fell sharply. Perhaps it would have fallen even more if the bridge had been done in pink or baby blue.
5. It is an established fact(既成的事实)that factory workers work better, harder, and have fewer accidents when their machines are painted orange rather than black or grey.
A. On the other hand, black is depressing.
B. They tell us, among other facts, that we do not choose our favorite color as we grow up—we are born with our preference.
C. The rooms are painted in different colors as you like.
D. If you do, you must be an optimist, a leader, an active person who enjoys life, people and excitement.
E. Light and bright colors make people not only happier but more active.
F. Life is like a picture or a poem, full of different colors.
G. Colors do influence our moods—there is no doubt about it.
“Just ate chicken feet for lunch. ”These were the words I wrote on my blog yesterday. By the next day there were hundreds of comments from my friends. They included “OH MY GOD! That is so disgusting(令人厌恶的)! ”, “What were they like? ” and “Why can’t you eat sandwiches like everyone else? ”
To Chinese people, chicken feet are a normal snack. To my friends in Britain, the thought of eating a chicken’s feet is weird(不可思议的). As weird, in fact, as eating a bullfrog(牛蛙), scorpion(蝎子), snake, or turtle.
But if there are two things I love more than anything else in life, they are trying new things and food.
I arrived in Beijing five months ago. Since then, I’ve searched for the “weirdest” foods so I can try them, then treat my friends to some “virtual eating”on my blog.
One weekend, I went to Wangfujing, Beijing’s “snack street”. The trip gave me tons of blog materials.
“I chose a stick with three live, wriggling scorpions on it, ”I wrote. “And it was pretty good. The scorpion was warm and crispy. The legs did have a tendency to get stuck between one’s teeth, however. What’s more, I am sure scorpion stung(蜇伤)me twice with its tail in revenge. ”
Next came snake: “A bit like a cross between fish and chicken, with a slightly rubbery texture(弹性口感)and meaty taste. ”
Some people were actually angry when I ate turtle soup—especially when I posted pictures showing the poor little guy’s head staring sadly up at us from the bowl. “I am never speaking to you again, ”wrote one former friend.
Still, I will continue my culinary quest(美食征程).
Next on my list is starfish, though I feel I should have some vegetables too—algae, maybe.
So what am I eating, tonight, you may ask. Pizza. Well, a girl’s gotta have a break sometimes.
1.According to the passage, which of the following “weirdest” foods is the one the author hasn’t tried?
A. Chicken feet. B. Bullfrog.
C. Scorpion. D. Chicken head.
2. What does the author like most in life?
A. Trying new things and food.
B. Traveling.
C. Walking.
D. Shopping.
3.Where did the author get her blog material?
A. From her friends.
B. From Wangfujing, Beijing’s “snack street”.
C. From shopping.
D. From the Internet.
4. What is the author’s friends’ attitude towards her trying “weird” foods?
A. They are satisfied.
B. They are happy.
C. They are surprised and even angry.
D. They are sorry.
5. What can we learn from the passage about the author?
A. The author likes eating.
B. The author enjoys traveling.
C. The author is fond of shopping.
D. The author is interested in Chinese food.
My dad was never the kind to offer many words of love or encouragement. But we knew he loved us. He just had his own way of showing it.
When I was a teen, we were seasonal campers(野营者)at a family campground almost an hour outside the city where we lived. Each family had their own campsite with water and electric, and you basically parked your camper there from May to October. Most “seasonals” visited them every weekend during those months, with the occasional week-long stay. There were plenty of other kids who camped seasonally each weekend, and they came to be some of my closest friends. Of course, many of them were boys.
We kids paired up(结对)with our little boyfriends or girlfriends, and we’d hold hands as we walked around the campground. We’d play ping-pong, have some snacks, and sing songs. Most weekends were pretty similar, but the couples would change. You’d see so-and-so with a different so-and-so than they were with the weekend before. You know how it is when you’re a teen—a three-week relationship is a really long time.
So, needless to say, my teen years were spent with quite a few different boys. But every single one of them had something in common. They’d all received the Evil Eye.
The Evil Eye was a magical sort of thing. One simple look from my dad, and the boy immediately knew not to mess with me. It was as if he could send his warnings through invisible laser(激光)beams that shot directly from his eyes to the boys’ brains.
“You will not put your hands on my daughter. You will not kiss my daughter. You will not even whisper sweet things into my daughter’s ear. ”
I remember one night in particular walking with a boy around the campground after dark. We came from one direction, and my dad from the other. The boy and my dad locked eyes for a brief second, then the boy dropped my hand like a hot potato and turned away, giving me a quick “See you later. ”
Yes, that’s the Evil Eye: best way ever to keep wandering teen boys’ hands away from your daughter.
1.The Evil Eye in the passage implies that .
A. Dad gets angry easily
B. Dad’s eyes are evil
C. Dad’s eyes are ugly-looking
D. Dad’s eyes are protective to his daughter
2. The underlined words “mess with” in Paragraph 5 most probably mean“ ”.
A. cause trouble for B. make untidy
C. get married toD. talk to
3. Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
A. As teenagers, we went camping every weekend.
B. We made lots of friends during the seasonal camping.
C. We had regular boyfriends or girlfriends and enjoyed ourselves.
D. The boy dropped my hand and turned away because he loved the Evil Eye.
4. It can be inferred from the passage that the author .
A. is a teenage girl who loves her father
B. is a teenage boy who hates his father
C. is now an adult who has come to understand her father’s love
D. used to be a naughty boy who changed girlfriends now and then
I was cleaning out an old box when an old card caught my eye: Queen City Casket Company. “What is it? ”I wondered. I it over. There, in faded ink, was a hand-scrawled . Immediately my mind back many years ago.
I was nine years old, walking down the cold, wet streets of Springfield, with a bag of on my shoulder. On my that day, I came to that company finally, whose owner, Mr. Rader, had always taken me there to his workers whether they wanted any magazines.
off the rain like a wet dog, I entered Mr. Rader’s office. After a quick glance he me over to the fireplace. Noticing the in the top of my , he said, “Come with me! ”pulling me into his truck. We before a shoe store. Inside, a salesman me with the finest pair of Oxfords I had seen. I felt about 10 feet tall when I got up them. “We’d like a pair of new socks too, ”Mr. Rader said.
Back in his office, Mr. Rader took out a , wrote something on it, and handed it to me. With tearful eyes, I read, “ to others as you would have them do to you. ”He said affectionately(亲切地), “Jimmy, I want you to I love you. ”
I said goodbye, and for the first time I a flicker of hope that somehow things would be all right. With people like Mr. Rader in the world, there was hope, and love, and that would always make a .
1. A. read B. thought C. turned D. passed
2. A. addressB. list
C. messageD. information
3. A. broughtB. approached
C. returnedD. traveled
4. A. magazinesB. newspapers
C. notesD. books
5. A. returnsB. roundsC. tripsD. arrivals
6.A. begB. demandC. tellD. ask
7. A. LettingB. GivingC. TurningD. Shaking
8. A. followedB. ledC. watchedD. carried
9. A. holeB. mudC. waterD. cover
10. A. coatB. shoeC. sockD. bag
11. A. pulled upB. took in
C. drove awayD. walked up
12. A. dressedB. fittedC. sharedD. comforted
13.A. neverB. alreadyC. everD. hardly
14. A. forB. withC. onD. in
15. A. penB. paperC. cardD. notebook
16.A. DoB. GiveC. ShowD. Lend
17.A. sayB. knowC. considerD. express
18.A. sensedB. predictedC. lostD. admitted
19. A. sadnessB. challengeC. kindnessD. intension
20. A. dealB. fortuneC. choiceD. difference
Living in a modern society has its advantages and disadvantages. One disadvantage is that you often have to live closer to other people than you would like to. Sometimes, your neighbors make noise that you are not comfortable with.
The best way to solve this problem is to talk with your neighbor first. You should be very polite and ask your neighbor if he knows how thin the walls of your homes are. This way doesn’t criticize(批评)his behavior; it simply points out that he may not realize how far his sound travels. Tell him that you know that sometimes you make noise as well, but that you do your best to keep it down. Often this will solve the problem right away, but sometimes the neighbor may become angry.
If your neighbor becomes angry with you, there are some more steps you can take. You might write a letter to the neighborhood committee. Make sure you write down the source of the noise and the time in the letter. They will review the situation and decide whether your neighbor is out of line. Some noise is considered to be reasonable, even if it bothers you. So you may prepare a good pair of earplugs(耳塞).
Even if your neighbor makes too much noise, you don’t have to live your life in discomfort. It’s always a good idea to be friendly with your neighbors. You may clean the rubbish in front of his door. He’s sure to appreciate behavior like this and be more open to your suggestions about noise level.
1. What is the first step to deal with the noisy neighbor?
A. To buy a good pair of earplugs.
B. To offer suggestions to the neighbor.
C. To ask the neighborhood committee for help.
D. To tell the neighbor how bad his behavior is.
2.The underlined word “reasonable” in the third paragraph probably means“ ”.
A. terrible B. loud C. proper D. unpleasant
3. What should be written in the letter to the neighborhood committee?
A. How to punish your noisy neighbor.
B. Where and when the noise appears.
C. How to make the noise less in the neighborhood.
D. What problems the noise causes to your life.
4.What does the last paragraph mainly talk about?
A. You should control your noise as well.
B. You can live comfortably even if there is noise.
C. Your neighbor may be friendlier than you think.
D. You should build good relationship with your neighbor.
5. The author wrote this passage to tell us .
A. why we should get on well with neighbors
B. how to relax ourselves in a modern society
C. what we should do with our noisy neighbor
D. how to become known among neighbors
At first sight the planet Mars(火星)does not appear very welcoming to any kind of life. It has very little oxygen and water, the temperature at night is below 50 degrees and winds of 100 miles(161 kilometers)per hour cause severe dust storms. However, the surface of the planet seems to show that water flowed across it at some time in the past, and it is believed that there would be enough ice at the poles to cover the planet with water if it melted. Although there is no life on the Mars now, some scientists think there may have been some form of life a long time ago. At that time, the planet had active volcanoes(火山); the atmosphere was thicker and warmer; and there was water. In fact, in some ways the Mars may have been similar to the Earth, where life exists.
Some people believe that the Mars could support life in the future if the right conditions were produced. The first step would be to warm the planet using certain gases which trap the Sun’s heat in the planet’s atmosphere. With warmth, water and carbon dioxide, simple plants could begin to grow. These plants could slowly make the Mars fit to live on. It is judged that the whole process might take between
100, 000 and 200, 000 years. In the meantime, people could begin to live on the planet in a special closed environment. They would provide a lot of useful information about conditions on the Mars and the problems connected with living there.
1. According to the passage, the planet Mars has no on it.
A. windsB. dust
C. mountainsD. animals
2.It is believed that on the Mars now .
A. there is a large amount of ice at the poles
B. there is a thicker and warmer atmosphere
C. there are some kinds of simple plants
D. there are many active volcanoes
3. What is the topic of Paragraph 2?
A. Certain gases should be used to warm the Mars.
B. Plants should be grown to make the Mars fit to live on.
C. The Mars could support life on right conditions in the future.
D. People could live on the Mars in a special closed environment.
4. The most suitable title for the passage is .
A. No Life on the Mars
B. Study of the Mars
C. The Possibility of Life on the Mars
D. Future Conditions on the Mars
