For many people, being without any electronic devices (设备) creates an uneasy feeling. I recently experienced a weekend without __________. Allow me to share my ________.
Last month, my family and I drove to my aunt Nan's home. My aunt was preparing to move closer to us. The _________ of our visit was to help her pack her belongings. During the ride, my dad __________ us that Aunt Nan's style of living was _________. We wouldn't hear cell phones ring because signals for electronic devices are not _________ in the mountains. My dad also told us that Aunt Nan had a television, but it _________ few channels.My mother added that my aunt doesn't own a computer and that I would need to write my English paper on Aunt Nan's typewriter.
Once we finally _________ Aunt Nan's house, we packed household items. Very quickly, however, I realized that it was __________ to figure out what to do in my free moments. I was used to watching television or movies in my _________ time. I was becoming restless (焦虑的)．
I'm sure that adults you know _________ tell you stories about the games they played and how they had time to think quietly when they were our age.Our parents grew up in a time when electronic devices were not advanced, _________ instant communication with friends and family wasn't even possible.
Once the packing was __________， there seemed to be nothing else to do. All the quiet thinking time made me _________， so I began writing my English paper. The old typewriter was fun to use, but I had to be a lot more _________ about making typing mistakes since there was no delete key. The best part of _________ the typewriter was hearing the sound that the keys made.
I soon finished my paper. My __________ had time to hike, draw, and make unusual crafts — much like my parents did. The _________ of putting these ideas on paper made me think that our dependence on electronics has _________ our creativity. I challenge you to spend a day without _________ any electronic devices. Maybe you will discover the benefit of thinking quietly as well.
1.A.games B．televisions C．electronics D．sports
2.A.feeling B．belongings C．experience D．devices
3.A.value B．purpose C．plan D．result
4.A.blamed B．advised C．announced D．informed
5.A.primitive B．modern C．new D．casual
6.A.stable B．visible C．direct D．confusing
7.A.saved B．received C．accepted D．refused
8.A.complained about B．arrived at C．left for D．cleaned up
9.A.safe B．impossible C．difficult D．easy
10.A.waiting B．travelling C．spare D．busy
11.A.finally B．hardly C．seldom D．frequently
12.A.though B．if C．for D．so
13.A.finished B．included C．paid D．opened
14.A.curious B．uncomfortable C．angry D．uninterested
15.A.careful B．scared C．excited D．crazy
16.A.holding B．using C．fixing D．packing
17.A.characters B．friends C．relatives D．classmates
18.A.process B．story C．idea D．beginning
19.A.failed B．encouraged C．dulled D．developed
20.A.turning down B．turning up C．turning off D．turning on
阅读七选五。
After the popularity of the Ice Bucket Challenge, another challenge now is hot in India. Indians give rice to their poor neighbors for a charity (慈善), which is called “Rice Bucket Challenge”. 1._ It is about giving a bucket of rice to someone who is in need and taking a picture named “Rice Bucket Challenge” to share online. The aim of the activity is to help the poor and hungry people in India, and the movement's Facebook page has so far clocked up more than 50,000 likes. 2. The activity was started by Manju Latha Kalanidhi, a 38yearold journalist, who thought the Ice Bucket Challenge was a little strange. She said, “Hunger is a disease anybody would connect.” The challenge has gained a lot of support with students signing up in Indian Institute of Management, and more and more people join in it. 3.
India is the world's secondbiggest rice consumer, with a storage of 21.2 million tons of the grains. 4._ It has suffered with mass hunger, and last year was ranked 63rd of 78 countries on the International Food Policy Research Institute's global hunger index. How to participate in this activity? First, pick up a bucket of rice from your home and give it to the neighboring people who are in need. 5. At last, invite online all your friends and ask them to take up the challenge. It is important to post back on Facebook because it will inspire all your friends to come forward. All the people get together and make a difference!
A．Besides, hand the rice bucket over to other people who are in need.
B．It is not an activity involving dumping a bucket of rice on someone's head.
C．The activity raises the public awareness and charitable donations to agriculture.
D．The Air Asia India airline says its staff including senior management will join.
E．Then, take a picture and post it on facebook with “Rice Bucket Challenge”．
F．But it is far from enough for this country.
G．The initial inspiration came from the Ice Bucket Challenge.
阅读理解。
Can you imagine a world without chocolate? It's not something I'd like to do, so I was relieved to read that there's a university with a programme to safeguard the future of chocolate!
The University of Reading, in England, has just opened a new clearing house for all the world's new cocoa varieties. They must be quarantined (进行检疫) before they can be grown. Why? Cocoa production hit a record high of 4.4 million tons last year but about 30% of the precious crop is regularly lost to pests and diseases. Now we don't want that, do we?
Demand for chocolate has been increasing faster than the world supply of cocoa and researchers think that new varieties are key to solving this problem.
The University of Reading has been protecting the quality of the new crop since 1985, after it took over the task from the Royal Botanical Gardens in Kew, London. And it has improved its facilities. The leader of the institution's cocoa project, Professor Paul Hadley, says, “One of the main issues concerning cocoa improvement is the supply of reliably clean, healthy, interesting cocoa material.”
The cocoa centre has a collection of 400 plant varieties and their greenhouse uses a lot of energy to keep them in tropical conditions. After up to two years in quarantine, clean and safe seeds are sent to some 20 countries, including several in West Africa. That's where 75% of the cocoa used for chocolate worldwide comes from. The crop is extremely important for the local economy: it employs about two million people.
Professor Paul Hadley says he works with a small team of skilled technicians who look after the collection. And more of us seem to count on them now.
The scientist says, “There is some concern within the industry that demand is increasing constantly, particularly in countries like China, where the standard of living is increasing and people are getting a taste for different chocolates.”
1.What is the text mainly about?
A．Safeguarding cocoa seeds.
B．Planting cocoa seeds worldwide.
C．Keeping cocoa seeds in the greenhouse.
D．Finding the new market for cocoa.
2.The institution's cocoa project is to ________.
A．have cocoa skin removed
B．offer more jobs to people
C．ensure the quality of cocoa
D．supply cocoa to two million people
3.What does the last paragraph tell us?
A．The taste of chocolates is changing.
B．Demand for cocoa is increasing continually.
C．People are concerned about cocoa varieties.
D．Chinese have a long history of eating chocolates.
4.What's the purpose of the text?
A．To educate. B．To advertise.
C．To warn. D．To inform.
阅读理解。
Dear Mr. Wolfson，
The purpose of this letter is to inform you of one of our citizens who I believe should receive some special recognition for dedicated (敬业的) community service. The person I recommend is Elizabeth Samuelson. I believe you know her in your position as volunteer coordinator (协调员)．
I have known Elizabeth for more than 20 years as both a friend and a neighbor. During that time I have seen her work tirelessly on scores of community projects and committees. As far as I know, she has never received any kind of recognition from the community for her work. I believe she should be given some sort of special recognition.
Just last year alone, she worked on at least six different community projects including the Park Renewal Project and the Heritage Homes FundRaising Banquet. In addition, she is a weekly driver for the MealsonWheels program and she visits patients in the care unit on a regular basis. Whenever a project or committee needs her, she will put herself into the work wholeheartedly. I'm sure that if you check with a few of your staff members who have been there over the years, they will confirm Elizabeth's community service record and probably be able to add many examples to the few I have given here. By the way, Elizabeth has no idea that I am writing this. She is a humble (谦虚的) person, and if she were aware of it, she would not allow me to send it.
I thought about writing such a letter about her a number of times in the past but just never took action. Then last week, I noticed in the paper that you sponsor (主办) an annual dinner at which dozens of awards are given out to people with much less community service than Elizabeth. In fact, I checked with her and she has never even been invited to that annual event!
I urge you to correct that omission (疏忽) now and take action to see that Elizabeth is properly recognized for her many years of silent but outstanding service to this community.
Sincerely，
Linda Sullivan
1.Linda is Elizabeth's ________.
A．friend and colleague B．neighbor and leader
C．neighbor and worker D．friend and neighbor
2.From the letter we know that Linda ________ Elizabeth much.
A．depends on B．looks down upon
C．ignores D．respects
3.According to the letter, Elizabeth ________.
A．wants to be asked to take part in the annual event
B．contributes much to the community
C．has been invited to the annual dinner
D．has been given a lot of honors
4.What can we learn about Mr.Wolfson from the letter?
A．He knows Linda quite well.
B．He is a careless person.
C．He tries something to reward those who have done much community service.
D．He tries his best to find Elizabeth and do something to reward her.
阅读理解。
When should people be made to retire? 55? 65? Should there be a compulsory age limit?
Many old people work well into their 70s and 80s, running families, countries or corporations. Other people, however, despite being fit and highly talented, are forced to retire in their fifties or even earlier because of the regulations of a company or the nation. This essay will examine whether people should be allowed to continue working as long as they want or whether they should be encouraged to retire at a particular stage.
Some people think there are several arguments for allowing older people to continue working as long as they are able. First of all, older employees have a large amount of knowledge and experience which can be lost to a business or organization if they are made to retire. A second point is that older employees are often extremely loyal employees and are more willing to carry out company policies than younger less committed staff. However, a more important point is regarding the attitudes in society to old people. To force someone to resign or retire at 60 indicates that the society does not value the input of these people and that their useful life is over. Age is irrelevant to a working life, surely if older employees are told they cannot work after 60, this is age discrimination. That they become old does not necessarily mean they are going to be sick. Old people could be more aware, experienced and committed than some youngsters.
Others, however, think that allowing older people to work indefinitely is not a good policy. Age alone is no guarantee of ability. Old people are only ambitious workaholics who are too selfish and selfcentered to believe that a younger person could do better. Actually, many younger employees have more experience or skills than older staff, who may have been stuck in one area or unit for most of their working lives. Having compulsory retirement allows new ideas in an organization. In addition, without age limits, however, many people would continue to work purely because they did not have any other plans or roles. A third point of view is that older people should be rewarded by society for their life's labor by being given generous pensions and the freedom to enjoy their leisure. We now have youngsters who can't find jobs because old people are choosing not to retire. Old people are not retiring because this new generation of “old people” think they will never die due to modern advances in medicine.
With many young people unemployed or frustrated in lowlevel positions, there are often calls to compulsorily retire older workers. However, this can affect the older individual's freedom and right to work and can deprive (剥夺) society of valuable experience and insights. I feel that giving workers more flexibility and choice over their retirement age will benefit society and the individual.
1.What is the purpose of this passage?
A．To explain the compulsory age limit.
B．To discuss the retirement age.
C．To examine people's working life.
D．To introduce a particular stage.
2.Which of the following is NOT a reason for allowing old people to continue working according to the passage?
A．Their contributions should be valued.
B．Their experience should be made use of.
C．They can help the youngsters.
D．They are loyal employees.
3.It can be inferred in the fourth paragraph that ________.
A．the young people have more creative spirits
B．modern advances in medicine make old people never die
C．pensions and freedom are not given to the old now
D．old people believe that a younger person could do better
4.The passage is arranged as follows：________.
阅读理解。
Melbourne, Australia
Melbourne is a hotspot travel destination, and it's easy to see its beautiful beaches and busy city life.
Why it's a great choice: Australia as a whole is considered a safe destination for international travel, and because of that, many solo travelers go there. As an Englishspeaking country, you won't be faced with any language barriers. Melbourne is easy to get around because you can walk or bike practically anywhere!
Thailand
Thailand is great for solo travelers — perhaps because it is one of the Buddhist mindsets, which promote equality among the sexes.
Why it's a great choice：Thailand is known for its friendly atmosphere, and as a travel hotspot, there are plenty of chances to meet other likeminded travelers. Well known for being very cheap, especially in the north. A good choice if you want to get away on a budget. Thailand has a lot to offer, from the partycentral Bangkok to beautiful beaches and tropical (热带的) jungle.
Hong Kong, China
Hong Kong is a great place to relax for solo travelers as it is full of “Zen Moments”， such as beautiful gardens and Tai Chi classes.
Why it's a great choice：Hong Kong is regarded as one of the safest cities in the world. If you're not welltraveled, or perhaps a bit tired of things like language barriers, Hong Kong is a great place to start, as it mixes both Eastern and Western at the same time.
Bali, Indonesia
Bali is a spiritual place with yoga, spas, healthy food and beaches. The combination of friendly people and splendid visual culture has made Bali number one tourist attraction.
Why it's so great: you won't be the only solo traveler in Bali. Everyone is known for being extremely friendly and you're sure to meet some amazing characters along the way. As a Hindu island, Bali is the perfect place for a relaxing and spiritual retreat (静修). The Sacred Monkey Forest in Ubud is fantastic — if you like monkeys, anyway.
1.What do the four places have in common according to the text?
A．They're cheap to travel around.
B．They're great for solo travelers.
C．They offer good spas and yoga.
D．There're no language barriers.
2.Where can you enjoy both convenient transport and beautiful beaches?
A．Melbourne, Australia. B．Thailand.
C．Hong Kong, China. D．Bali, Indonesia.
3.What has made Bali No. 1 tourist attraction?
A．Yoga, spas, healthy food and beaches.
B．Friendly people and splendid visual culture.
C．Meeting some amazing characters along the way.
D．Fantastic monkeys in the Sacred Monkey Forest.
4.What type of writing is this text?
A．A travel journal. B．A business report.
C．A travel guide. D．A press advertisement.
