I was desperately nervous about becoming car-free. But eight months ago our car was hit by a passing vehicle and it was destroyed. No problem, I thought: we’ll buy another. But the insurance payout didn’t even begin to cover the costs of buying a new car—I worked out that, with the loan (贷款) we’d need plus petrol, insurance, parking permits and tax, we would make a payment as much as £600 a month.
And that’s when I had my fancy idea. Why not just give up having a car at all? I live in London. We have a railway station behind our house, a tube station 10 minutes’ walk away, and a bus stop at the end of the street. A new car club had just opened in our area, and one of its shiny little red Peugeots was parked nearby. If any family in Britain could live without a car, I reasoned, then surely we were that family.
But my new car-free idea, sadly, wasn’t shared by my family. My teenage daughters were horrified. What would their friends think about our family being “too poor to afford a car”? (I wasn’t that bothered what they thought, and I suggested the girls should take the same approach.)
My friends, too, were astonished at our plan. What would happen if someone got seriously ill overnight and needed to go to hospital? (an ambulance) How would the children get to and from their many events? (buses and trains) People smiled as though this was another of my mad ideas, before saying they were sure I’d soon realize that a car was a necessity.
Eight months on, I wonder whether we’ll ever own a car again. The idea that you “have to” own a car, especially if you live in a city, is all in the mind. I live—and many other citizens do too—in a place that has never been better served by public transport, and yet car ownership has never been higher. We worry about rising car costs, but we’d be better off asking something much more basic: do I really need a car? Certainly the answer is no, and I’m a lot richer because I dared to ask the question.
1.The author decided to live a car-free life partly because ______.
A. he was hurt in a terrible car accident
B. most families chose to go car-free
C. the traffic jam was unbearable for him
D. the cost of a new car was too much
2.What is the attitude of the author’s family toward his plan?
A. Disapproving.B. Supportive.
C. Unconcerned.D. Optimistic.
3.What did the author suggest his daughters do about their friends’ opinion?
A. Take their advice.B. Argue against it.
C. Leave it alone.D. Think it over.
4.What conclusion did the author draw after the eight-month car-free life?
A. Life without a car is a little bit hard.
B. Life cannot go without a car.
C. A car-free life does not suit everyone.
D. His life gets improved without a car.
A story of a man who made the brave journey of love, cycling from India to Sweden to see his sweetheart, has gained the hearts of thousands online. A Facebook post, that has been linked more than 113,000 times, shares the tale of how Dr. Pradyumna Kumar Mahanandia crossed eight countries to be reunited with his wife Charlotte Von Schedvin in her native country.
The story began in 1975 when wealthy 19-year-old Charlotte Von Schedvin, who was a student in London at the time, traveled to India in 1975 to meet the poor but famous artist Mahanandia. The Indian was born in 1949 into a poor family in Odisha, Dhenkanal and was considered an untouchable in the society.
Although his family couldn’t afford his education, he managed to gain a place at the College of Art in New Delhi where word of his talent quickly spread.
In events that wouldn’t be out of place in a romantic movie, when young Charlotte Von Sledvin met with the painter, the two fell in love with one another. He was greatly impressed by her beauty and she, with his pure simplicity. Despite their contrasting backgrounds, the pair shortly married.
In 1978, the time came for Charlotte to return to her native country, and she requested her husband join her back in Europe. However, Mahanandia was in the middle of his studies and said he would join her after these were completed. The couple stayed in touch through letters and despite Charlotte’s offers to send flight tickets, Mahanandia was determined to meet her in his own way.
Selling his belongings, he managed to get enough money to buy a second-hand bike and set out on the intrepid journey to be reunited. From New Delhi the love-struck adventurer entered Afghanistan, Iran, Turkey, Bulgaria, Yugoslavia, Germany, Austria and Denmark. It wasn’t all easy sailing. His bike broke down a lot of times along the way and he had to go on without food for days.
In total the trip took four months and three weeks before he finally reached Gothenburg, Sweden. Upon arrival, he was questioned by immigration officers, who were said to be amazed at his story of devotion after he shared photographs of his marriage.
Her parents welcomed him with open arms and 40 years later, the pair are still happily married. Dr PK Mahanandia serves as the Odiya Cultural Ambassador of India to Sweden and lives with his wife and two children in Sweden. He has become well-known in Sweden as an artist and as an adviser of Art and Culture, under the Swedish Government too.
1.How did Mahanandia and Charlotte meet for the first time?
A. Charlotte travelled to India to meet Mahanandia.
B. Mahanandia went to study in the same school with Charlotte.
C. Mahanandia cycled to Sweden.
D. Their families arranged the meeting.
2.The underlined word “intrepid” in Paragraph 6 means _______.
A. longB. excitingC. braveD. poor
3.What’s the best title for this passage?
A. A Romantic StoryB. Meet across Boarder.
C. Mahanandia and Charlotte.D. Journey of Love.
The traditional Chinese lunar calendar divides the year into 24 solar terms. Grain Rain (Chinese: Gu Yu)，as the last term in spring, starts on April 19 and ends on May 4.
Grain Rain came from the old saying, “Rain brings up the growth of hundreds of grains,” which shows that this period of rainfall is extremely important for the growth of crops. The Grain Rain marks the end of cold weather and a rapid rise in temperature. Here are five things that you may not know about the Grain Rain.
Key time for agriculture
Grain Rain brings a marked increase in temperature and rainfall and the grains grow faster and stronger. It’s a key time to protect the crops from insect pests.
Sandstorms occur
Grain Rain falls between the end of spring and the beginning of summer, with infrequent cold air moving to the south and wandering cold air in the north. From the end of April to the beginning of May, the temperature rises much higher than it does in March. With dry soil, an unpredictable atmosphere and heavy eastern winds, gales and sandstorms become more frequent.
Drinking tea
There is an old custom in southern China that people drink tea on the day of Grain Rain. Spring tea during Grain Rain is rich in vitamins and amino acids (氨基酸), which can help to remove heat from the body and is good for the eyes. It is also said in the south that drinking tea on this day would prevent bad luck.
Eating toona sinensis
People in northern China have the tradition to eat the vegetable toona sinensis during Grain Rain. An old Chinese saying goes “toona sinensis before the rain is as tender as silk”. The vegetable is nutritious and can help to strengthen the immune system. It is also good for the stomach and skin.
Grain Rain Festival
The Grain Rain festival is celebrated by fishing villages in the coastal areas of northern China. Grain Rain marks the start of the fishermen’s first voyage of the year. The custom dates back to more than 2,000 years ago, when people believed they owed a good harvest to the gods, who protected them from the stormy seas. People would worship the sea god and stage sacrifice food on the Grain Rain festival, praying for a wonderful harvest and a safe voyage for their loved ones.
1.Grain Rain got its name to show ________.
A. the cold weather is already gone
B. rain at this time is important to the crops
C. The highest temperature
D. the last term in lunar calendar
2.People in southern China drink tea on this day ________.
A. to prevent bad luck
B. to cure the eye diseases
C. to fight against the sandstorm
D. to strengthen the immune system
3.It is a custom to eat the vegetable toona sinensis ________.
A. in the coast areasB. in the south
C. in the northD. in the east
4.If a fisherman wanted to get fish in the sea in the past, he would ________.
A. get the fresh vegetables
B. drink tea in this festival
C. fight against the sandstorm
D. worship the sea god
假设你是李明，你在报纸上看到一个广告，很感兴趣，但有些具体细节不清楚。请你根据下面电子信箱地址发封邮件，询问有关情况。
Wanted |
Young person to help with two children Help with languages very welcome Must have experience Accommodation available if necessary E-mail: Cook@hotmail.com |
1. Hours?
2. Which languages? How many?
3. Experience of teaching or caring for children?
4. How about meals?
注意：1．词数100左右；
2．开头和结尾已给出，不计入总词数。
Dear Sir/Madam,
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
Yours truly,
Li Ming
假定英语课上英语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。文中共有10处语言错误，每句中最多有两处。错误涉及一个单词的增加、删除或修改。
增加：在缺词处加一个漏字符号（∧），并在其下面写出该加的词。
删除：把多余的词用斜线（﹨）划掉。
修改：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限一词。
2.只允许修改10处，多者（从第11处起）不计分。
Dear Grace,
How is everything going with you?
I’ve been in Russia for two months. This is the first time that I’ve been away my family for such a long time. With the help of Katia, a roommate of me, I soon get used to live without my parents around. Katia, like many other Russian girls, are nice and lively. We became friend shortly after we met each other. Although her English is a little hardly to understand, we enjoy chatting and we usually talk a lot about our own family. We’re both surprising that Chinese culture and Russian culture were so different. Now, we are planning a small party for the next Sunday. There, Katia will introduce me to some of her friends, one of who has been to China several times. I just can’t wait.
Write back to me as soon as possible.
Yours,
Betty
When my brother and I said we were going to spend our Christmas holidays abroad, the whole family objected violently. But nothing could persuade us 1. (stay). Two days 2. Christmas, we went to a small town in Southern Germany. We 3. (spend) the whole of Christmas Eve sightseeing.
There were 4. many activities in the town that they added to our excitement. The streets were crowded with people 5. the shops were full of wonderful things. In the evening. We went to listen to Christmas songs 6. (sing) by children around the 7. (bright) decorated Christmas tree in the main street. We planned to have 8. meal at the best restaurant in town the next day. However, in the morning the streets were empty. What’s worse, all the shops including the restaurants were shut. As last we had to return to our hotel, 9. (feel) very miserable. Our Christmas “feast” was a bag of fruits, 10. my brother had happened to buy the day before.
