For a while, I wrote a “Tuesday tip” on my blog Lyonsdenmom.com. It was about easy week-night dinners, organizing parties or perhaps finding time out for friends.
About a year ago, I ran out of tips.
The truth? As a busy working mom with five busy kids, I probably do have a few tips to share. But honestly, the bar is set pretty low---on a recent day when I was walking our dog, a stranger who knew I had five kids said, “Wow! You have a dog, too?! And it even looks like you showered today!” Yes, it's true, I shower. Not every day, but most days. See, I'm telling the truth. Honestly, in this cold winter, I'm probably taking a shower more to warm up than to clean up.
Other funny truths? I'm tired. In fact, for the past year, I’ve been too tired to type up any update on our life here in Lyons Den. It's hard to arrange a career with all these kids. Although folks just believe that it must be so much easier now since all the kids are in school, I'm here to tell you, it's not. It's really not. When I get home from work, I'm often tearfully greeted by five kids and five homework folders filled with math facts, invitations, notices and artwork.
All those happy smiling faces I share on Facebook are real. We are a happy family---thank God for that! But we're not always smiling, and even in those rare best times when I can get all five kids looking at the camera, the odds would be that one of them isn’t wearing underwear, one is pinching (捏) someone behind the scenes and one is just perfectly pronouncing “Damn!” So, less perfectly-posed pictures, but more telling the truth. Even if only on Tuesday.
1. It seems that the author's life used to be _____.
A. tiring B. busy C. relaxing D. funny
2. Which of the following is true about the author?
A. She can't get along well with her neighbors.
B. She's living a happy life with her family
C. She likes to have a shower every day.
D. She has already closed her blog now.
3.Which of the following words can best take the place of the word odds?
A. answers. B. chances. C. solutions D. ways.
4.The passage mainly talks about _____.
A. the happiness of a working mother
B. the worry of a working mother
C. the hardship of a working mother
D. the bittersweet of a working mother
We should feel grateful in our heart when we accept anything others sacrifice for us. However, we often unconsciously do the opposite, which may not be regarded as returning kindness with ingratitude, but have the equal power to harm each other. In particular, the closer the relationship is, the more determined we are.
Jennifer, my friend Randy's mother, is already over 70, poor eyesight and weak legs. But due to her character, she chose to live alone in the suburbs. No matter how busily Randy works, he would go there to visit her once or twice every week.
That day as soon as he parked his car, Randy smelt the delicious smell of meat coming from her mother's house. His mother said, “Your birthday is coming next week, so I'm preparing pork trotters (猪蹄) for you!” Seeing the steaming delicious trotters, he couldn’t help complaining, “I don't like these things at all, so fatty.”
On his way back, he called me, saying that he felt sorry. In fact, he longed to thank his mother and eat up that bowl of trotters. But he felt sorry that it took her too much time and energy. If he didn’t stop her strictly, he was afraid the same thing would continue. He would rather not eat trotters any more than have his mother overwork. I understand how he felt exactly. Each of us has done like that. Because of feeling sorry for others' sacrifice, we purposely harden our heart against accepting others' favor and even criticize them severely in order to frighten their goodness away and make them never do that again.
This method may work, but it will hurt each other's feelings. It's not wrong logically, but we always neglect another sound deep in our heart: because we're afraid we can't repay them, we're unwilling to shoulder others' goodness. So we reduce its value and refuse it severely. But to destroy others' goodness is also to deny you.
1.Randy refuse to eat the pork trotters his mother cooked because ____.
A. he disliked them at all
B. they were really very fatty.
C. they weren’t his favorite taste
D. he didn’t want her to overwork.
2.Randy telephoned the author to _____.
A. express his apology to his mother
B. complain about his mother
C. apologize for his rudeness
D. ask for a bowl of trotters.
3.According to the author, we sometimes say “no” to others' favor so that ______.
A. they can be frightened away
B. they won't continue doing that
C. we needn’t repay them later
D. we won't feel sorry for their sacrifice
4.In the last paragraph, the author implies that we should ____.
A. refuse others' favor immediately
B. deal with others' favor wisely
C. repay others' goodness actively
D. shoulder others' goodness completely.
More than 2.25 billion cups of coffee are drunk throughout the world each day, and it's likely that many taste bitter. Now, a new study suggests that coffee fans can make their drink sweeter by changing the color of their cups.
Researchers from Oxford set out to prove whether the claim that coffee drunk from a white cup tastes biter was true. They used 36 volunteers and three different colored cups---blue, white and transparent glass--- to examine the claim.
In one experiment, the white cup increased the intensity (浓度) of the coffee taste relative to the transparent cup. Then, in a second experiment, coffee drunk from the white cup was found to taste less sweet when compared to the other colored cups, while the blue cup made the coffee taste the sweetest.
The scientists believe that the color brown may be associated with bitterness, and coffee in a white cup appears the brownest. “Our study clearly shows that the color of a cup does influence our sense of the coffee taste,” leading author Dr George Doorn, wrote in an article for The Conversation. “The effect of the color of the cup on the taste of the coffee reported here suggests that cafe owners should carefully consider the color of their cups,” he said. “The potential effects may spell the difference between a one-time purchase and a return customer.” Actually, the idea that color can change the food and drink taste came out many years ago. A study published last year reported that red, strawberry-flavored cake served on a white plate was rated as 10 percent sweeter than the same food presented on a black plate.
1.The passage is mainly about _____.
A. the popularity of sweet coffee.
B. an experiment made in Oxford.
C. the effect of cup color on coffee's taste
D. useful tips on how to make coffee.
2. In which cup will coffee taste the sweetest?
A. A white cup. B. A blue cup.
C. A transparent cup D. A brown cup
3. Café owners should consider their cups' color in order to ______.
A. reduce the daily expenses
B. show their taste in coffee
C. appeal to more customers
D. make their café different.
4.We learn from the passage that_____.
A. coffee in a white cup tastes sweeter than that in a transparent glass
B. over 2 billion cups of sweet coffee are drunk worldwide each year.
C. Dr. George Doorn wrote an article about making conversations.
D. the idea that color could affect the taste of drink is not new.
Thanks for signing up for the 2014 Black Friday Turkey Trot! This email will provide some basics about the race and some great news!
First, your race packet (参赛物品包) is ready and can be picked up at the Fleet Feet Sports Tulsa location you’ve specified during registration.
Hours for pickup.
Tuesday, 10 am to 8 pm (Fleet Feet Kings Point)
Tuesday, 10 am to 7 pm (Fleet Feet Blue Dome)
Wednesday, 10 am to 5 pm (both stores, closing early for Thanksgiving)
Packets can also be picked up on the race day at BOK Center, beginning at 8:30 am.
Race Start Times
1) 5 mile, 8:30 am 2) 1 mile fun run, 9:30 am
Parking
There is surface parking to the east of the BOK Center, and some surface parking to the west of the Convention Center. Many lots will be pay-lots. Please pay attention to the signs. We suggest arriving early to find parking.
Racing Timing
The 5 km run will be timed using the BIB-TAG system. Your race number will have a timing device attached to the back of the race number; don't remove or bend this device. Simply wear the Bib on the front of your body on the outside of your clothing so it is visible and facing forward. You don't need to return the Bib, which is disposable.
The Turkey Trot is also a kick-off event for our weekend long “FITNATIC” celebration---we also have a huge number of events and specials all weekend. For more information, please visit http://www.fleetfeettulsa.fitnatic.com.
See you on Friday.
1.Where should a runner go to pick up his packet at 8:30 am on Friday?
A. Kings Point. B. Convention Center.
C. Blue Dome D. BOK Center
2.How long will the FITNATIC celebration last?
A. Seven days. B. Five days
C. Two days D. One day.
3. What is the purpose of the passage?
A. To attract sports fans to apply for the activity.
B. To inform the race participants of the activity.
C. To describe details related to the activity.
D. To collect money for the parking-lots.
书面表达
假定你是李华。在校报英语专栏看到了学校“英语文化节”的一则招募启事，请阅读启事，并根据写作要点和写作要求写一封应征邮件。
Volunteers Wanted
Our annual English Festival, which will be held on June 15-17, 2015, is now looking for 20 student volunteers to provide service for Talent Show, Speech Contest, and English Debate. If you are interested, please send an application email at your earliest convenience to Ms.Chen at chenlaoshi@aef.com.
写作要点：
1.表示写信意图；
2.陈述应征目的；
3.说明应征条件（性格、能力等）。
写作要求：
1.邮件词数不少于100；
2.开头和结尾部分已写好，不计入总词数；
3.可根据情况增加细节，使行文连贯
4.不能使用真实姓名和学校名称。
Dear MS Chen ,
I’m Li Hua, a student from Class2, Grade 3.
_________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
Looking forward to your reply.
Yours truly,
Li Hua
短文改错
假定英语课上老师要求同桌之间交换修改作文，请你修改你同桌写的以下作文。作文中共有10处语言错误，每句中最多有两处。每处错误仅涉及一个单词的增加、删除或修改。
增加：在缺词处加一个漏子符号（∧）并在其下面写出该加的词。
删除：在错的词下划一横线，并在该词下面写出修改后的词。
注意：1.每处错误及其修改均仅限一词；
2.只允许修改10处，多者（从第11处起）不计分。
Ladies and gentlemen,
May I have your attentions, please? Now we are looking for the passenger, Mr. White, he is from America. And he is now leaving Beijing to America by Flight 748. Because we are told that Mr. White had left his passport as good as his wallet in Friendship Hotel. The manager of the hotel has just telephoned tell us about it. The manager has been sent his secretary to take the passport and wallet here, and she will come soon. Will Mr. White go to the gate of our airport to wait for you passport and wallet? She will arrive in about ten minutes.
