Best friends may be priceless but the cost of keeping the relationship alive is £23,870.
According to a study, a BFF (best friends forever) does not come cheap with devoted friends spending £4,679 on birthday presents alone over a lifetime. And while it costs nothing to be a shoulder to cry on, big-hearted Britons go the extra mile and spend £168 on pick-me-ups(提神物品) to get their mate through a rocky patch (艰难时刻)like the breakup of a relationship.
There’s a further £242 spent on presents to show how much they mean from gifts bought on holiday to treats for no reason. And distance does not break up a close friendship as BFFs spend a whopping(巨大的) £18,000 on travel to see each other despite being miles apart because of university, jobs and marriage.
The study by cashback site TopCashBack found on average BEFs who marry can expect £431 spent on them and a further £283 on gifts when they have children. And they can rely on their pals to help out when they move houses as they will obtain £127 worth of housewarming presents and takeaways(a kind of food).
The survey based on a friendship lasting 40 years found more than eight in ten adults with a BFF felt their friendships were worth every penny.
TopCashback spokesperson Natasha Smith said: “Those friendships which stand the test of time are often the most important in our lives. However, they come at a cost. From train tickets once a month to flights and a new dress for a wedding on the Italian coast, the price paid for having a best mate can soon add up. But when we asked people to compare their friendship with the financial investment(投资), only 14% thought their friendship was equal to their investment with the vast majority thinking it was worth more."
1. What does the underlined word in Paragraph 2 mean?
A. generous B. ambitious
C. troublesome D. energetic
2.To keep the relationship, where do BEFs spend the most money?
A. Buying birthday presents.
B. Cheering up a friend in low spirits.
C. Paying for holiday gifts and other treats.
D. Going a particular distance to visit friends.
3.What is Natasha’s understanding of BEF friendship?
A. It’s costly and unaffordable.
B. It’s expensive but worthwhile.
C. It’s rewarding but hard to keep.
D. It’s changeable but worth possessing.
4. How is the passage developed?
A. By listing figures.
B. By giving examples.
C. By analying causes.
D. By making comparisons.
In today's world of smart phones and notebook computers, most people have at least one time-telling thing with them. Since these digital products are so common, is time running out for the 500-year-old watch? According to some consumers, the answer is yes. New Jersey teenager Charlie Wollman says a watch is “an extra piece of equipment with no necessary function.” Many young adults think so and use their smart phones to tell time. It is said that fewer young people wear watches today than ten years ago. As a result, some people say that the watch industry is at a crossroads.
However, watchmakers optimistically say that watches regain popularity when consumers reach their 20s and 30s. By then, they are willing to spend money on a quality watch that doesn’t just keep good time. Fifty years ago, watchmakers took pride in their products’ accuracy. But in recent years, the watch industry has changed itself into an accessory(附属的) business. And today, the image a watch communicates has become more important than the time it tells.
“Complications” — features that go beyond simple timekeeping — are an important part of a watch’s image. Today’s watches offer lots of features that meet almost any personality. These features include compasses, USB drivers, and even other functions .
Creativity also plays a key role in designing today’s watches. For example, Japanese watchmaker Tokyoflash makes watches that don’t even look like watches. The company’s popular Shinshoku model uses different color lights to tell time. It looks more like a fashionable bracelet(手镯) than a watch.
Whether a watch communicates fashion sense, or creative talent of a love sports, consumers want their watches to stand out. Nowadays, everyone has the same kind of gadget(配件) in their bags, so people want to make a statement with what’ s on their wrists. Will this interest in wrist fashion last? Only time will tell!
1.What can we know from the first paragraph?
A. As most people see, watches are out of fashion.
B. The watch industry will close down sooner or later.
C. Some people feel that watches have been of no use.
D. There are so many choices of watches for teenagers today.
2. Japanese watchmaker Tokyoflash is mentioned in Paragraph 4 to_______.
A. tell that today’s watches need more imagination
B. show why Shinshoku watches are popular
C. advertise Shinshoku watches made by Tokyoflash
D. make a comparison between watches and bracelets
3.What might be the most suitable title for the passage?
A. Japanese Watches Stand Out
B. Watches Tell More Than Time
C. Watch Industry Is in a Bad Situation
D. Watches Are Becoming Less Popular
To develop one’s taste in English，the most effective way is to read English books extensively. However, one may be at a loss to choose the appropriate books，especially as a beginner.I would like to share some of my experience.
My first English novel was Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice，recommended by many English teachers and professors as an ideal book for English learners. But I had great difficulty in understanding the novel，let alone enjoying it. It’s not the vocabulary that troubled me，but rather the way Austen constructs sentences，and her way of thinking，which seemed too remote to me at that time. My fading enthusiasm was much recovered after reading Hemingway’s novel Farewell to Arms. I particularly liked his brief and lively style. So my first suggestion is，as a beginner, you’d better choose contemporary novels instead of classical ones.
However，reading novels is not the only way to improve your English. English essays can at once inform you，entertain you, and improve your taste in English. The best example is Bertrand Russell’s work. Its language is plain, yet you cannot help feeling the elegance and the unique sense of humor. His simple language enables his philosophy(哲理) within the reach of ordinary people. Here comes my second suggestion—essays are indispensable.
Never follow other’s opinions blindly，however famous or influential the person might be. As a saying goes，one man’s meat is another man’s poison. With that in mind，we are sure to find out our favorite writers through reading and develop our fine taste in English.
1.What made the author’s first English novel hard to understand?
A. Complex conversations.
B. Not knowing the social background.
C. The old-fashioned vocabulary.
D. Sentences and Austen’s thinking pattern.
2.Which can best replace the underlined word“ indispensable”?
A. necessary B. challenging
C. related D. inspired
3.What advice does the author give in the last paragraph?
A. Choose books that challenging us most.
B. Read books that are instructive.
C. Don’t be affected by other’s choices.
D. Compare books before buying.
4.What is the author’s purpose of writing the passage?
A. Give comments on literature works.
B. Tell beginners how to choose English books.
C. Encourage people to read more English books.
D. Recommend first-class books to English learners.
Last year I ruined my summer vacation by bringing along a modern convenience
that was too convenient for my own good: the iPad. Instead of looking at nature, I checked my email. Instead of paddling a small boat, I followed my Twitter feed (推特简讯). Instead of reading great novels, I stuck to reading four newspapers each morning. I was behaving as if I were still in the office. My body was on vacation but my head wasn’t.
So this year I made up my mind to try something different: withdrawal (退出) from the Internet. I knew it wouldn’t be easy, since I’m bad at self-control. But I was determined. I started by giving the iPad to my wife.
The cellphone signal at our house was worse than in the past, making my attempts at cheating an experience in frustration (沮丧). I was trapped, forced to go through with my plan. Largely cut off from e-mail, Twitter and my favorite newspaper websites, I had few ways to connect to the world except for radio and how much radio can one listen to, really? I had to do what I had planned to all along: read books.
This experience has had a happy ending. With determination and the strong support of my wife, I won in my vacation struggle against the Internet, realizing finally that it was I, not the iPad, that was the problem.I knew I had won when we passed a Starbucks and my wife asked if I wanted to stop to use the Wi-Fi. “ I don’t need it,” I said.
However, as we return to post -vacation life, a harder test begins: Can I continue when I’m back at work? There are times when the need to know what’s being said right now is great. And I have no intention of giving up my convenience completely. But I hope to resist the temptation (诱惑) to check my e-mail every five minutes, which leads to checking my Twitter feed and a website or two.
I think a vacation is supposed to help you reset your brain to become more productive. Here I hope this one worked.
1.What do we know about the author’s last summer vacation？
A. He was determined to enjoy the beautiful view.
B. He felt satisfied that he had stuck to his usual timetable.
C. He hated himself for acting as if he were at work on vacation.
D. His iPad ruined his plan of finishing a great novel.
2.What did the author do to keep away from the Internet this year？
A. He cut off his cellphone signal.
B. He handed his iPad to his wife.
C. He refused to cheat in his house.
D. He listened to the radio most of the time.
3. When back at work, the author will probably choose to_______.
A. continue to read more and more books.
B. stay away from the Internet for ever.
C. stop checking what is being said right now completely.
D. keep control of when and how to use the Internet.
4.What is the author’s opinion of a great vacation in the passage？
A. A vacation means a change of pace to make one more creative.
B. A vacation is a period of time to do whatever one wished to.
C. A vacation is having nothing to do but read all day.
D. A vacation proves that a life of pleasure is overvalued.
阅读下面短文，从短文后各题所给的四个选项(A、B、C和D)中，选出可以填入空白处的最佳选项。
I've always had strong opinions of how love should be expressed，but others had their own ways of showing care.
What I remember most about visiting my parents is the loud tick of the in the dining room as we ate our meal. With so little conversation I was quick to his family as cold. When we got into the to go home，his father suddenly appeared. , he began to wash his son’s windscreen. I could feel he is a man through the glass.
I another lesson about love a few years later. I always return phone calls and regularly contact my friends. I the same from them. But I had one friend who called，answering my messages with short e-mails. I rushed to the : She wasn’t a good friend! My anger as the holidays approached. But then she came to a gathering I hosted and me a beautiful dress I had fallen in love with when we did some window-shopping the previous month. I was at her thoughtfulness，and regretful for I'd considered her to be uncaring. Clearly I needed to my expectations of friends.
Far too often，I ignored their unique , eagerly expecting them to do things in my . Over the years, however, I’ve learned to other persons’ love signs.
1.A. ownB. boyfriend’sC. girlfriend’sD. father’s
2.A. clockB. tableC. platesD. dishes
3.A. excitedlyB. nervouslyC. silentlyD. instantly
4.A. regardB. treatC. getD. have
5.A. busB. trainC. carD. plane
6.A. PunctuallyB. CarefullyC. ProudlyD. Coldly
7.A. coldB. strange C. toughD. caring
8.A. understoodB. learnedC. taughtD. tried
9.A. in orderB. in turn C. without delayD.without difficulty
10.A. expect B. considerC. intendD. ask
11.A. regularlyB. still C. evenD. rarely
12.A. faithB. suggestionC. judgmentD. approval
13.A. remainedB. failedC. grewD. quit
14.A. handedB. boughtC. helpedD. offered
15.A. depressedB. upsetC. fascinatedD. shocked
16.A. howB. whatC. whyD. whether
17.A. makeB. changeC. appreciateD. draw
18.A. expectationsB. experiencesC. adventuresD. expressions
19.A. mannersB. skillC. meansD. way
20.A. sendB. readC. giveD. express
完成句子
1.事情已经发展到双方家长被叫来的阶段。
The incident had reached to a both their parents were to be called in.
2.只有以这种方式我们才能学好英语。
__________in this way we learn English well.
3.看起来这的水好像不干净，不宜游泳。
It looked __________ __________ the water isn’t clean enough to swim here.
4.我家有五口人，没有一个人以前去过西藏。
There are five people in my family , __________ of __________ has been to Tibet before.
5.并非所有城里的人都见过他。
__________ __________ the people in the city have seen him.
