I truly feel that my mother led me here, to Morzaine, and to my future as a happy wife and businesswoman. When Mum in October 2007, I was a cook. In December that year, while I was working for a wedding, a pearl necklace Mum had left me . I was distraught（忧心如焚的）. Some days later, I was that a guy who was working with us that day, “could probably have made a fortune the necklace he found.” , he returned it. Hearing how I’d Mum for six months before her death, he said, “Christmas is going to be —why not go out to the Alps for a couple of weeks?”
I came to Morzaine, a small, friendly village in the Alps and fell in love with it. What was to be a stopgap (权宜之计) trip turned into a new life. I kept traveling between London and here and felt than I had in months. In December 2008, I was as a hotel manager and moved here full time.
A month later, I met Paul, who was traveling here. We fell in love. In the beginning, I didn’t want to discuss , because the sadness of losing Mum felt great. Paul understood that and never me. But, by summer, we got married. A year later, we used his saving, and the money from the sale of Mom’s house, to build our own .
We want to give our guests a feel, so each room is themed (以……为题) around memories from our lives. There are also styles to remind me of Mom—a tiny chair which be in her bedroom is set in one room.
We are having a wonderful life and Mum naturally part of it, there’s no way we would be here if it wasn’t for the she gave me. I know she’s here in spirit, keeping an eye on us.
1.A. died B. came C. returned D. visited
2.A. burned B. disappeared C. broke D. dropped
3.A. shown B. comforted C. persuaded D. told
4.A. hiding B. stealing C. selling D. wearing
5.A. Luckily B. Naturally C. Surely D. Hopefully
6.A. nursed B. cured C. missed D. guarded
7.A. long B. hard C. merry D. free
8.A. suddenly B. finally C. nearly D. immediately
9.A. said B. proved C. supposed D. judged
10.A. smarter B. higher C. firmer D. lighter
11.A. honored B. hired C. regarded D. trained
12.A. travel B. business C. children D. marriage
13.A. recently B. once C. still D. first
14.A. left B. pushed C. surprised D. interrupted
15.A. hotel B. restaurant C. home D. shop
16.A. homely B. lively C. motherly D. friendly
17.A. ought to B. used to C. might D. could
18.A. takes B. keeps C. looks D. feels
19.A. unless B. while C. because D. though
20.A. money B. chair C. house D. necklace
May the first is an important date in the college admission process in the United States．This is the last day for high school seniors to accept or reject offers of admission in the fall．But according to a recent report，there is a great change．Acceptance rates at the top colleges this year were lower than ever．1. ．
These days，college applicants are applying to more colleges because online and common applications make the process easier．2. On the other hand，deciding students for top colleges to accept can be difficult because it takes much time．Students may not like being put on waiting lists．Also，common colleges work more to get the students they accept to accept them．Some colleges hold visiting days that offer a chance to attend classes and stay overnight．Some universities send gifts．3.
For many families，the most important thing colleges can do is show them the money， especially this year；the weak economy makes parents nervous． 4. ．The recent problems that spread from the housing market to credit markets have even affected student’s loans．So lately，top schools have to spare lots of money to increase their financial aid for students．
5. ．The Education Department expects the number of high school graduates to start to go down．This will happen as the last of the children of the baby boom generation finish high schoo1．The number is not expected to start rising again until 2015．
A．Besides，top colleges are facing changes in the population．
B．What contributes to it?
C．But a mistake can be costly if it happens．
D．But top colleges ignore them．
E．They have international students who know English．
F．It can mean several acceptances to choose from．
G．They cannot afford college as planned．
Robots that can chat，find misplaced glasses，draw aeroplanes and play with your children are attracting thousands of visitors during an expo in Tokyo as Japan adapts to changes in society．
Robots，such as the sound．sensitive Chapit，answer simple questions and even joke with people to help them fight loneliness and stay alert in old age．
Japan has one of the world’s fastest-ageing societies and the government predicts that by 2050 the proportion of people over 65 will reach 40 percent．”Many older people in Japan live alone and have no one to talk to，”said Kazuya Kitamura representative of the expo organizer．“Communication robots accompany people and don’t mind listening to the same stories over and over again．”
Matsumoto’s“Personal Mobility Robot，”equipped with four cameras and a sensor to recognize the user's centre of gravity, is designed to help elderly move around without pressing buttons．using joysticks(操纵杆)or rotating wheels as in traditional wheelchairs．
The robot can also help find misplaced glasses by identifying them with a sensor．
Other robots，such as the award-winning“DiGRO”can support busy parents who have little time to play with their children．The robot can use the Internet to find a simple image and then draw pictures，keeping children company while parents work．
While Chapit，a relatively simple robot，managed to attract a corporate partner many researchers，such as Kiyoshi Matsumoto，a professor at the University of Tokyo，struggle to attract sponsors for more expensive projects．
“We have developed a robot that can assist many people，but we still haven’t found a sponsor,”said Matsumoto，who added that the cost of the machine，if mass-produced，would be comparable to that of a car．”In the current economic environment there are few companies willing to invest in such a costly project，”he said．
1.It can be inferred from the text that_______．
A．many children lack love from parents
B．robots helpful to the old will be in great demand
C．robots are the most useful to children
D．robots do better than people in healthcare
2.It is difficult to find sponsors for robots because______.
A．Japan is suffering economy depression
B．the robots are of poor design
C．the production of robots costs a lot
D．the future market is worrying
3.What is the author’s attitude towards the robots referred to?
A．Unsatisfied． B．Doubtful．
C.Favorable． D．Regretful．
As I grew older, my dad and I grew further apart. We always had totally different opinions. He thought that college was a waste of time, but for me it was important to finish college. He wanted me to work my way to the top as he had done in his field, but I wanted a different life. There was a time when we did not talk with each other.
A few months ago, I heard that my 84-year-old dad was in poor health. When he called and asked whether I could move from Colorado back to Tennessee to help him, I knew he was seriously ill. I am his only child and so it was time to meet my father's requirement.
Two weeks after moving back，we bought a boat and started fishing again. Fishing was one of the few things that we did while I was young and that we both enjoyed. It is strange but true that as we are fishing we are able to put things that have kept us apart for so many years behind us. We are able to talk about things that we have never talked about before. Fishing has been healing the old wounds that have kept us apart.
It is not important how many fish we catch. It is about enjoying the relationship that we have not had for years. I' m 62 and he is 84. When we are on the lake fishing, it is like enjoying life. It is far better to find a way to put the unhappy past behind. I am so lucky to spend the happy time with my father in his last years. Now my heart is filled with love. A smile always graces my lips.
1.The author and his father became further apart because .
A. they lived very far from each other
B. they seldom went see each other
C. they only communicated by phone
D. they had different views on things
2.Why did the author come back to Tennessee?
A. Because his father invited him to work there.
B. Because he decided to live in a different city.
C. Because his father was ill and needed caring.
D. Because he regretted being rude to his father.
3.For the author, fishing with his old father .
A. helps cure his father’s disease
B. makes him realize the importance of relaxation
C. is a good way to get close to nature
D. provides a chance for them to communicate
4.Which of the following can be the best title for the text?
A. Fishing Brings Us Together B. Forgiving Is Difficult
C. Memories of Old Days D. My Beloved Father
Millions of sports lovers are still thinking about one thing----the Winter Olympics in Sochi Russia. Close to 2900 men and women competed in the 2014 Winter Games about a month ago.
The Olympics brought a lot of attention to Sochi, a city on the Black Sea, which is a popular area for vacation travelers. The area is known for its mild winters.
At least $50 billion was spent on the 2014 Winter Games, making it the costliest Olympics in history. Seven billion dollars was spent on the 2010 Winter Games in Vancouver, Canada. Olympic officials chose Sochi to host the 2014 games almost seven years ago. At that time, Russian President Vladimir Putin said the games would cost about $13 billion. Yet the actual expenses exceeded his estimate. So where did all the money go?
Some observers say the high cost is partly the result of security measures. Brian Jenkins, a terrorism expert from the RAND Corporation, gave the following explanation. There were anywhere between 70,000 and 100, 000 policemen and military troops deployed around the city.
The main threat came from separatist and Islamist groups from the North Caucasus, especially from Chechnya and Dagestan. One group claimed responsibility for two suicide bombings in Volgograd last December. The attacks killed more than 30 people. The city is only about 600 kilometers away from Sochi.
Bruce Hoffman is a terrorism expert from Georgetown University in Washington DC. He says the increased security made Sochi a difficult target for terrorists.
It is thought that the terrorists' intention was to make life difficult for the Russians and to create some sort of incident that would take away the enjoyment.
The last Olympians from around the world on Russian soil were in 1980. That was a year after Soviet troops invaded Afghanistan. More than sixty countries didn’t take part in the Moscow Summer Games to show their anger.
1.According to the passage, why did the Sochi Winter Olympics cost so much?
A. Because it was held at an area popular for vacation travelers.
B. Because the Russian government wanted to make it the best ever held.
C. Because security measures at Sochi were stricter than before.
D. Because the original plan was made 7 years before.
2.It can be known from the passage that Bruce Hoffman was .
A. a terrorism expert from the USA
B. the writer who wrote this article
C. an athlete who competed in Sochi
D. a terrorism expert from RAND Corporation
3.Which of the following is false?
A. Sochi Olympics cost about 4 times as estimated.
B. Next winter Olympics will be held in Vancouver.
C. Many countries refused to attend the 1980 Olympics.
D. Security is often a problem in international sport games.
4.The terrorists might have attacked Sochi Olympics because .
A. they wanted to make trouble for the Russians
B. they thought Russia shouldn't spend so much on sport
C. they thought Putin was not a nice president
D. they were not interested in winter sports
Humans aren’t the only ones getting a buzz from coffee．Caffeine can improve memory among honeybees and lead to better pollination(授粉)．According to a recent study published in the journal Science．
The study was conducted by a team of researchers at Newcastle University in the United Kingdom．They found that the nectar(花蜜)of some flowers，such as those from grapefruit and lemon plants，as well as certain coffee flowers，contains low doses of caffeine．To get bees to feed on these flowers，the team trained the insects to associate food with the smell of the flowers．They also trained another group of bees to feed on nectar from flowers that were sweetened with a sugar, but did not contain caffeine．After 24 hours，the bees trained on caffeinated flowers returned to these plants three times as often as those trained on the sweetened flowers returned to the uncaffeinated plants．
Professor Geraldine Wright led the researchers．“Remembering floral traits(花部特征)is difficult for bees to perform at a fast pace as they fly from flower to flower and we found that caffeine helps the bee remember where the flowers are，”Wright said in a statement．
Improved memory led to the better pollination．That’s because once bees sip the caffeine nectar, they continue to look for more coffee plants to pollinate．This also suggests that caffeine plays a role in improving the bees’ability to search for food．
Researchers found that caffeine’s effect on the bee brain is similar to its effect on mammals．“The change is similar to that produced by caffeine in neurons(神经元)associated with learning and memory in the rat brain，”Wright said．
Bee populations have declining since 2007．The dramatic drop in the insects’numbers has serious effects for ecosystems and the farming industry．Bees are needed in the reproduction of crops and spreading wild flower species．Understanding what keeps bees buzzing could help to make sure that the insects are able to remember and pollinate their favorite flowers．
1.Which of the following is mentioned in the passage?
A．Caffeine has no effect on the rat brain．
B. Bee population has been increasing．
C．The nectar of lemon plants contains caffeine．
D．Bees dislike nectar from sweetened flowers．
2.After reading the passage，John，who works in the farming industry, will probably feel ____________.
A．annoyed B．angry C．nervous D．excited
3.Which of the following relationship is correct according to the passage?
A．improved memory—caffeine nectar—better pollination
B．caffeine nectar—improved memory—better pollination
C．improved memory—better pollination—caffeine nectar
D．caffeine nectar—better pollination—improved memory
4.What section of a newspaper may this passage be taken from?
A．Science B．Education
C．Culture D．Sports
