Jack Baines is a self-made millionaire, but his beginnings were very lowly. He was the youngest of eight children. His father had a in a cotton mill (纱厂), but he was often to work because of poor health. The family couldn’t to pay the rent or bills, and the children often went _. After leaving school at the age of 14, Jack was __ what to do when Mr Walker, his old teacher, offered to lend him ￡100 to start his own _ _.
It was just after the war. Raw materials were not enough, and Jack saw a _ in scrap metal(废弃金属). He bought bits of metal and stored it in an old garage. When he had built up a large amount, he sold it and plenty of money.
Jack working hard. After one year he succeeded in the ￡100.
By the time Jack was 30 years old he had his first million, and he wanted to this achievement by doing something “ __ ”. With all his money it was to build a beautiful home for himself and his parents. In 1959, “Baines Castle” was built in the _ of the Lancashire countryside. It was one of the finest buildings in the country.
Jack has recently sold “Baines Castle” for ￡500 million, Jack still can’t get used to the good life. He can be found drinking with the locals at the local pub(酒吧).
“I remember being very as a child, but never as a child,” says Jack, “and I will never forget where I came from and who I am.”
1.A. work B. job C. company D. house
2.A. able B. glad C. eager D. unable
3.A. offer B. like C. afford D. expect
4.A. wrong B. ill C. hungry D. bad
5.A. seeing B. doubting C. wondering D. preparing
6.A. school B. farm C. store D. business
7.A. problem B. future C. purpose D. principle
8.A. spent B. borrowed C. wasted D. earned
9.A. preferred B. enjoyed C. promised D. hated
10.A. paying back B. making up C. developing into D. bringing up
11.A. given B. taken C. made D. lost
12.A. celebrate B. honor C. remember D. recognize
13.A. common B. simple C. grand D. boring
14.A. impossible B. obvious C. possible D. basic
15.A. ground B. front C. spot D. heart
16.A. so B. and C. or D. but
17.A. living B. sparing C. using D. keeping
18.A. never B. often C. sometimes D. seldom
19.A. rich B. poor C. healthy D. well
20.A. unhappy B. satisfied C. proud D. happy
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。
Get a Better Night’s Sleep
You’re trying to get a good night’s sleep, but why do you still find yourself staring at the ceiling? It’s time to listen to what some unexpected experts have to say.
Get the Basic Equipment Right.
There’s really good study on the basic equipment for sleep. 1. Firstly, most people prefer a mattress （床垫）that is not too hard and not too soft. Secondly, if your mattress is eight to ten years old, you should get a new one. Seventy-two percent of people said they slept better on their new mattress than they did on their old one.
2.
Watching TV at night may seem relaxing. However, it beams light into your eyes, which is a “warning” signal for the brain. 3. Besides, the cooler white and blue light from a computer screen encourages brain activity and makes your brain difficult to calm down. Download the software at stereopsis.com /flux. It gradually makes your screen less bright at sunset, turning its colors a warmer red one.
Keep you Cool.
One of the best signals from the body to go to sleep is a decrease in body temperature. I suggest sleeping in a very cool environment, about 19℃. A hot bath will increase your skin temperature, which finally decreases your main body temperature. 4.
Make Sleeping Pets Lie.
Sometimes your dogs might need the noise of machines. Many dogs are sensitive to noises outside, like other dogs barking or neighbors coming home late. A noisy machine will drown out the noises that are keeping your pet up, which keep your pet from waking you. 5. . If you keep them awake during the day, they’re more likely to sleep at night.
A. Read a book before bed instead.
B. Take a bath a half-hour or so before bedtime.
C. You also learn dogs sleep when they’re bored.
D. The dog is very loyal to his master.
E. It proved two theories.
F. You don’t need a really beautiful mattress.
G. Switch off the Box.
Japan’s youth are losing interest in science and as a result, threatening the nation’s industrial progress. According to Japan Science and Technology Agency, young Japanese are surrounded by high-tech devices(设备), but are not interested in how they work.
Japanese businesses have succeeded partly because they’ve a great many engineers. A drop in interest could lead to a decline(减少) in their numbers and quality. "In the past, the young had a big interest in science and technology," said Hirano, director of the agency’s policy department.
There are two main reasons for the problem. The first is known as "black box syndrome" of modern technology.
Electronic devices depend on tiny silicon chips（芯片）, which can only be made in big factories, whose workings can’t be seen by the eyes. The devices, unlike machines of the past driven by gears and wheels, are simply boxes.
Young Japanese, brought up on video games and at home with computers, enjoy using modern technology, but this is a passive interest and different from the interest in how things work. "You need an active interest to get interested in science. This is declining in the young," said Hirano.
About two-thirds of Japanese in their 20s use PCs, twice the number of those in their 50s. But only 40% of those in their 20s say they are interested in news about science and technology, compared to 60% of the 50 to 60 year olds.
"Another reason for it is that life in modern Japan is too comfortable," he said. "A wealthy society reduces people’s desire to modernize and develop their country. To a degree, you can’t avoid this when the fruits of science and technology are fully developed." Similarly, science in Europe and the US has also suffered a lack of interest.
1.Japanese youth’s interest in science is dropping probably because ________.
A. scientists don’t make much money in Japan
B. there are too many scientists in Japan already
C. they’re not interested in how high-tech devices work
D. science is more difficult for young people to learn
2.The underlined word "their" (in Para. 2) refers to ________.
A. Japanese engineers’
B. Japanese businesses’
C. Japan’s young people’s
D. high-tech devices’
3.Why does science meet the same problem in Japan, the US and Europe?
A. People believe they don’t need to develop their science any more.
B. People are satisfied with the comfortable life high-tech devices bring to them.
C. People think high-tech devices destroy the environment.
D. People don’t want to live the modernized life.
4.Which of the following is NOT true according to the passage?
A. Older people are probably more interested in science in Japan.
B. About one-third of Japanese people in their 50s use computers.
C. Japan’s youth live too comfortably to take interest in science.
D. Electronic devices are made of parts that can not be seen at all.
If you want to live longer and lower the risk of heart disease, a move to the mountains may help. Research by scientists in Greece shows that living in the mountains is good for the heart and longevity(长寿). People living at higher altitude(海拔) have lower possibility of dying from heart disease than those closer to sea level, even if they have factors that could increase their risk. "Residence in mountainous areas seems to have a ‘protective effect’ from heart disease," said Dr Nikos Baibas of the University of Athens. He and his colleagues suspect that the increased exercise from walking up mountainous area gives the heart a good workout and enables it to cope with lower levels of oxygen.
Researchers studied the health records and death rates of 1,150 Greeks who lived in three villages near Athens over 15 years. One village was 1,000 meters above sea level and the other two were in low-lying areas. Although men and women living in the mountainous village had higher blood pressure rates and other risk factors than people in the other villages, they had a lower rate of death from heart disease and other causes after a fifteen year follow-up." The contrast was more evident among men than among women," Baibas added in a report in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health. Heart disease is one of the world's top killers. Smoking, high blood pressure, raised cholesterol levels, being overweight and a family history of the illness increase the possibility of developing the disease.
1.The first sentence in the passage is used to ________.
A. give a very good guessing
B. tell readers what the passage focuses on
C. warn people of the risk of heart disease
D. name a new unknown illness
2.According to the passage, a person ________ may have less possibility of having heart attack.
A. from higher altitude
B. with a better living habit
C. with more money
D. in a happier mood
3.How long does the research of the Greeks last?
A. At most 10 years.B. Not mentioned.
C. More than 20 years.D. About 15 years.
4.Apart from altitude, how many factors raise the chance of developing heart disease?
A. threeB. fourC. fiveD. six
What Will Be Done-With All This Denim?
All the denim (牛仔布) will be donated to Cotton From Blue to Green, which recycles jeans into UltraTouch Natural Cotton Fiber Insulation (纤维隔热材料), which is used to help build houses in places that have been damaged by hurricanes and other natural disasters. Your jeans will help keep clothes out of landfills (垃圾场), and build houses for families to live in! UltraTouch is made of 85% recycled fibers and is an environmentally safe, natural cotton fiber insulation.
It's a Fact
It takes about 500 pairs of jeans to recycle enough denim to insulate one average-size U.S house.
Here's How You Can Get Involved!
1. Get a parent's permission and select as many denim jeans as you like. (Any denim clothing is OK)
2. The denim must be used.
3. The denim can be any brand.
4. The denim can be any color or size but must have been worn by a human (no doll clothes!).
5. Jeans must be received by June 30, 2017.
By donating denim, you can give it a “new life” by converting it into UltraTouch Natural Cotton Fiber Insulation. Click here for more information about the denim drive.
UltraTouch is composed of 85% recycled fibers and is an environmentally safe, non- itch natural cotton fiber insulation. For more information about UltraTouch, click here.
1.The denim clothing that you intend to donate ________.
A. can be either new or second-hand
B. can be worn by dolls and humans
C. must be a certain famous brand
D. can be of any size or color
2.Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the ad?
A. The deadline of the denim clothing donated is July 30, 2017.
B. Ultra Touch can protect houses from natural disasters.
C. Ultra Touch may be the name of a building material.
D. The denim clothing is collected to provide clothes for the homeless.
3.You can find the advertisement _______.
A. in the newspaperB. by watching TV
C. in a magazineD. on a Web page
When I was a baby, I entertained you and made you laugh. Whenever I was “bad”, you'd shake your finger at me and ask, “How could you?”--but then you'd give up, and roll me over for a belly scratch and I believed that life could not be any more perfect.
My housetraining was a long process, because you were terribly busy, but we worked on that together. We went for long walks, runs in the park and car rides. We stopped for ice cream. I took long naps in the sun waiting for you to come home at the end of the day.
Gradually, you began spending more time at work and on your career, and more time searching for a human mate. Eventually, you fell in love. She, now your wife, is not a dog person, but I still welcomed her into our home. I was happy because you were happy. Then the human babies came along and I shared your excitement, I was fascinated by their pinkness, how they smelled, and I wanted to mother them too. Your wife was afraid I would bite them. But nevertheless, as they began to grow, I became their friend.
Now, you have a new job in another city and you and they will be moving to an apartment that does not allow pets. You've made the right decision for your “family”, but there was a time when I was your only family.
I was excited about the car ride until we arrived at the dog pound. It smelled of dogs and cats, of fear, of hopelessness. You filled out the paperwork and said, “I know you will find a good home for her.” They shrugged and gave you a pained look. The children were in tears as they waved me goodbye. And “How could you?” were the only three words that swept over my mind.
Is it better to live with hope or without hope? At first, whenever anyone passed my pen (围栏), I rushed to the front, hoping it was you, that you had changed your mind and that this was all a bad dream.
My beloved master, I will think of you and wait for you forever. I hope you receive more faithfulness from your family than you showed to me.
1.Who tells this story?
A. A child.B. A dog.C. A dog's owner.D. A dog trainer.
2.Why did the dog's owner take his dog to the pound?
A. He had a newborn baby.
B. His wife did not like the dog.
C. He thought the dog too troublesome.
D. He was moving into a new building.
3.Which is true about the dog when it lived at the pound?
A. It hoped to be adopted by another family.
B. It did not trust humans any more.
C. It continued to love its former owner.
D. It was excited about the pound.
4.What is the theme of the story?
A. Be faithful to those who love you.
B. Never expect too much.
C. Be positive about life.
D. Be ready for changes.
