The warm weather outside may look perfect for outdoor exercise. But for those who are not that sporty, 1. could be nicer than having relaxing afternoon tea with a few good friends and taking 2. break?
But are you familiar with the culture of afternoon tea—its origins, what 3. (include), and the proper etiquette (礼仪)? We sum up a few things you need to know about this traditional English custom so that you can enjoy it 4. (much).
While the tradition of 5. (drink) tea dates back to about 3,000 BC in China, it was not until the mid-17th century 6. the concept of “afternoon tea” first appeared in the UK. In 1840, Anna Maria Russell, the seventh Duchess of Bedford, started to ask for a tea tray 7. butter, bread and cakes at 4 pm every day, as she found she was hungry at this time every day and the evening meal in her household was served 8. (fashion) late at 8 pm. She found this new habit difficult 9. (break) and soon invited other ladies in society to join her. This pause for tea quickly became a popular social event. In the 1880s, women of upper class and society would put on gowns, 10. (glove) and hats for their afternoon tea.
阅读下面短文, 从短文后所给各题的四个选项（A、B、C、D）中, 选出可以填入空白处的最佳选项, 并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
Standing in the driveway, I watched my grown children drive off into the distance. I looked down the road until I could no longer see their ________.
“They live too far away from me,” I said to myself. “When did they ________ and become parents of small children? ________ that be me?”
I slipped back inside the house and just walked through the rooms for no reason ________. I was just missing them already and looking for ________ of their having been here. There were pillows on the floor and few stuffed (填充) animals ________ around where the children had been playing.
I walked into the ________ and there on the back of the sink was a bottle brush that had been left behind. “Ah, even Tessa left something behind,” I ________. Well, I suppose she had help ________ she was just four months old.
As I walked around the house, I picked up a few more ________ on the floor—Tegan’s tooth, a pie pan, and the inside of a turkey fryer.
Hmmm, things left behind ... I thought to myself. It seems there is one thing left behind on very ________. Memories are always left behind, I reasoned, and what a(n) ________ thing good memories are to us. I thought how each item left behind ________ me of the person it belonged to and the story ________ it.
Memories happen even if we aren’t ________ of it. The stressful and difficult moments often become memories that we ________ later with laughter and joy. The memories of past hurts, bitterness, and anger, ________, should be left behind ________. These are the things that we should never ________ until the next time they come, mail back, or bring with us on ________ next visit.
As Elizabeth Stone said, “To have a child is to decide forever to have your heart go walking around outside your body.”
1.A. smilesB. vehiclesC. painsD. bicycles
2.A. drop outB. break awayC. set offD. grow up
3.A. Shouldn’tB. Wouldn’tC. Can’tD. Needn’t
4.A. with joyB. with angerC. in particularD. in return
5.A. signalsB. atmosphereC. signsD. information
6.A. jumpingB. lyingC. movingD. looking
7.A. houseB. distanceC. kitchenD. driveway
8.A. announcedB. explainedC. complainedD. replied
9.A. whenB. unlessC. untilD. since
10.A. itemsB. toysC. memoriesD. treasures
11.A. tableB. courseC. occasionD. corner
12.A. funnyB. privateC. ordinaryD. precious
13.A. remindedB. informedC. warnedD. convinced
14.A. promotingB. surroundingC. acknowledgingD. exposing
15.A. proudB. ashamedC. afraidD. aware
16.A. attach importance toB. throw doubt on
C. get hold ofD. look back upon
17.A. besidesB. thereforeC. otherwiseD. however
18.A. partlyB. sometimesC. foreverD. unwillingly
19.A. presentB. keepC. overlookD. experience
20.A. yourB. theirC. itsD. our
根据短文内容, 从短文后的选项中选出能填入空白处的最佳选项。选项中有两项为多余选项。
Everyone can help to save the world
We are all environmentalists now. We all know about acid rain and the ozone hole. 1. As consumers we have the power to make decisions which will contribute to a better world and it is in our power to do what we can to protect the earth.
2. In this way we have the power to influence retailers (零售商) to sell us these so-called “green” products. Therefore, the supermarkets have understood the message and are now trying to improve their environmental image. They are turning to less wasteful and recyclable packaging. The range of “green” products will continue to expand to meet the growing demand. This message has also reached the manufacturers. 3. They have realized that protecting the environment may start as an advertising campaign but in the hands of intelligent people it can become a very profitable business. Besides, we can do more.
Furthermore, we also know there are other areas where all of us can make a positive contribution to a cleaner, healthier and safer environment. 4. There are a number of ways we can do this. For example, we now know how important it is to have our homes well insulated (隔热). We should choose the best energy efficient technology, such as modern light bulbs which can reduce electricity consumption by 80% over the older ones. We must also work hard to reduce the amount of rubbish we produce. We all produce tons of rubbish and waste disposal has become a big problem. As an environmentally-conscious consumer we should buy products which do not have so much packaging. Also, we should try to avoid non-returnable goods at all costs. In Scandinavia and Germany, for example, plastic bottles and cans are now returnable goods.
In conclusion it is important to emphasize once again the rise of consumer power. We must realize that we are all part of the problem. 5.
A. We can all reduce energy consumption at home and so cut the emissions from power systems.
B. For example, when we walk into a supermarket we can choose to buy environmentally friendly products and reject products which damage our planet.
C. There are some other ways to protect the environment.
D. Companies are developing environmentally friendly products that maintain a high quality and a low price.
E. But what are we doing about these problems?
F. Nevertheless we must also realize that we have the responsibility to be part of the solution.
G. Everybody has the duty to contribute to a cleaner world.
The TV science-fiction series Star Trek no longer looked far-fetched (牵强的) as four men and four women in black space-suits locked themselves into a giant hi-tech greenhouse, known as a ‘biosphere’, in the Arizona desert yesterday for a two-year study of the environment.
As dawn broke over the Santa Catalina mountains, the eight waved goodbye to television cameras. Edward Ross, their multibillionaire sponsor from a Texas oil family, closed the door of the $150 million structure, with its mini-ocean, marsh, desert, savanna, rain-forest and 3,800 plant and animal species designed to allow the team to recreate Earth and its ecosystems.
The so-called Biosphere 2 is the latest of a dozen environmental projects started by the self-titled ‘ecopreneur’. The project’s main aim is to set up a self-sustaining community for possible use in a spaceship or on another planet. The crew members must plant, harvest and process their food on a half-acre farm in the seven-storey glass and metal structure, while conducting a series of experiments.
‘We will be custodians (监护人) of our new little world,’ said Abigail Mayer, aged 31, a US marine biologist on the team, her voice choking with emotion. ‘It is a brave new step.’ Many scientists, however, are more than skeptical. They point out that the largest closed ecosystem which survived more than a few days was smaller than a football. It was developed at the University of Miami and contained only shrimp, algae and other micro-organisms.
Critics have also accused Mr. Ross of being more interested in producing a profitable theme park than in carrying out serious scientific research. Hundreds of tourists visited the site daily in the summer before it was occupied by the team. They paid $9.95 to enter and all stopped at the souvenir shop.
1.What’s the location of the project?
A. Texas.
B. University of Miami.
C. Arizona desert.
D. The space.
2.What can we infer from the passage?
A. There is a scene in Star Trek where four men and four women locked themselves into giant greenhouse.
B. All the species of plants and animals on the Earth were brought into the greenhouse.
C. Mr. Ross made tourists stop at the souvenir shop to gain profits.
D. Many scientists are doubtful whether this system can last long enough.
3.What’s the author’s attitude towards the project?
A. Critical.B. Neutral.C. Skeptical.D. Supportive.
Generally speaking, college graduation brings both the satisfaction of academic achievement and the expectation of a well-paid job. But for 6,000 graduates at San Jose State this year, there’s uncertainty as they enter one of the worst job markets in decades.
Ryan Stewart has a freshly minted degree in religious studies, but no job prospects. “You look at everybody’s parents and neighbors, and they’re getting laid off and don’t have jobs,” said Stewart. “Then you look at the young people just coming into the workforce.., it’s just scary.”
When those graduates entered college, the future never looked brighter. But in the four years they’ve been here, the world outside has changed dramatically. “Those were the exciting times, lots of dot-com opportunities, exploding offers, students getting top dollar with lots of benefits,” said Cheryl Allmen-Vinnidge, of the San Jose State Career Centre. “Times have changed. It’s a new market. The job situation is grim (严峻的) now.” Cheryl Allmen-Vinnidge ought to know. She runs the San Jose State Career Centre, (it is) sort of a crossroads between college and the real world. Allmen-Vinnidge says students who do find jobs after college have done their homework. “The typical graduate who does have a job offer started working on it two years ago. They’ve postured themselves well during the summer. They’ve had several internships (实习) ,” she said. And they’ve majored in one of the few fields that are still hot—like chemical engineering, accounting or nursing—where average starting salaries have actually increased over last year. Other popular fields (like information systems management, computer science, and political science) have seen big declines in starting salaries.
Ryan Stewart (he had hoped to become a teacher) may just end up going back to school. “I’d like to teach college some day and that requires more schooling, which would be great in a bad economy,” he said.
It is true more students are able to receive college education. It is also true that they will have to face fiercer competition in the job market as they graduate. It becomes harder and harder for the current graduates to get a foothold in job markets, but many of them have no choice but to follow the beaten track. To some students a degree may not be ticket to instant wealth. For now, they can only hope its value will increase over time.
1.What can we learn about Ryan Stewart?
A. He is a teacher.
B. He majored in religious studies.
C. He found a job as soon as he graduated.
D. He is going back to school.
2.Which of the following did NOT happen in the past four years?
A. Dot-corn opportunities decreased.
B. Salaries in chemical engineering increased.
C. The number of teaching jobs increased.
D. The number of jobs with benefits decreased.
3.What does Cheryl Allmen-Vinnidge mean when she says students “have done their homework”?
A. The have found full-time jobs as their future career before graduation.
B. The have gone to summer school for further studies.
C. They are good students who have finished their homework on time.
D. They have spent time preparing themselves to find a job.
4.What’s the meaning of the phrase “get a foothold” in the last paragraph?
A. Gain a safe position from which further advances can be made.
B. Find a place where you can stand.
C. Walk with steady footsteps.
D. Make great progress in a particular area or in a certain job.
The universe looks like a pretty quiet place to live. But the universe is filled with dangerous things, all struggling to be the one to wipe us off the planet. Happily for us, they’re all pretty unlikely, but if you wait long enough, one of them is certain to get us. But which one?
1. Death by Asteroid (小行星)
Of all the ways we might meet our untimely death, getting wiped out by an asteroid is the most likely. Why? Because we sit in a universal shooting gallery, with 100 tons of material hitting us every day. The problem, though, occurs every few centuries when something big this way comes. If you could ask a dinosaur, I’d imagine they would tell you to take this seriously.
2. Death by Exploding Star
When a huge star ends its life, it does so with a bang, which sends death spreading across space in the form of high-energy radiation. Many studies show that the bang would have to be closer than about 75 light years to do us any harm. The good news: no stars so close are able to do the deed.
3. Death by Dying Sun
The sun is important to us; without it, we’d freeze. But the sun is also middle-aged, already halfway to running out of fuel, expanding into a red giant, and cooking us to a fine crisp. Even long before then, it’ll warm up enough to raise our average temperature and cause a runaway greenhouse effect, boiling our oceans.
Happily, that’s a long time from now.
4. Death by Black Hole
Black holes are misunderstood. They don’t wander the galaxy looking for tasty snacks in the form of planets and stars; they turn around the Milky Way just like the hundreds of billions of other stars do. But it’s possible that one could wander too close to us. If it did, planetary paths would be disturbed, causing the Earth to drop into the sun or be thrown out into deep space.
Given that it could be trillions of years or more before even that happens, we don’t have to worry too much about black holes.
My advice? Go outside, look up, enjoy the sun, the moon, and the stars. They may be there forever as far as any one of us is concerned...and forever is a long, long time.
1.The underlined word “this” probably refers to ________.
A. getting wiped out by a dinosaur
B. an untimely death
C. a cosmic shooting gallery
D. 100 tons of material
2.Which of the following will cause the earth’s average temperature to go up dramatically?
A. The dying sun.B. The black hole.
C. The asteroid.D. The exploding star.
3.Which of the following statement is possible about black holes?
A. They wander the galaxy.
B. One of them wanders very close to the earth.
C. They turn around the galaxy.
D. They look for planets and stars.
4.While the author is introducing the ways the universe could wipe out humankind, he is ________ us.
A. warningB. comfortingC. entertainingD. ignoring
