My six-year-old granddaughter stares at me as if she is seeing me1.the first time."Grandma,you are an antique,because you are old,"she says.I explain,"An antique is not only just old; it's an object2.(belong) to earlier times.Antiques are valuable.”
We look around the house for antiques.There is a large desk that3.(hand) down from an aunt to our family. "It's very old,"I tell Jenny."I try to keep it4.(polish),and I show it off whenever I can."When Jenny5.(get) older, I might also tell her that whenever I look at the desk or touch it,I am reminded of the aunt who was dear to me.I remember myself as a little girl standing against this antique,6.(listen) to one of her stories.
Our tour of antiques continues.There is a picture on the wall,7.dates from 1867,and it is not in very good condition.There is a vase on the floor.I'm not certain where it came from,8.I didn't buy it new."The one thing about antiques,"I explain to Jenny,"is that they usually have a story."
For a moment Jenny looks9.(thought)."I don't have any antiques but you,"she says.Then10.(she)face brightens."Could I take you to school for our antiques show?"
Due to a long series of unfortunate events,my mother is in a serious debt,a burden was left on her as a result of her divorce.Because of the divorce,the legal and medical____it has left her with,she was unable to____a loan.She has done everything in her____to help keep the houses for my sisters and herself.
Since I was a child,my mother has always been the type of woman to____others' needs before her own.For 13 years she____abused and neglected children to find sanctuary（避难所）through foster care in our house.This was no ____task as many of these children had stood years of physical emotional abuse from their parents.Not long after my father become abusive,our____was being physically and emotionally____daily before our eyes.The abuse____ for some time before she was able to file for a divorce,____to finally to put an end to her____.Unfortunately,the divorce was not as____one would expect.
After ten years,the divorce was finalized and my mother was____to continue on with her life.Due to____ problems with her knee caused by the abuses,my mother was unable to work.The____left her with huge amounts of medical,legal and now property tax debts.She____her last bit of money to help save the house for my younger sisters and herself.As a____mother,she is the most inspirational woman I have ever meet.Despite the continuous turmoil（混乱）, she has____formed a way to stay positive and____.I am hoping to her get back on her feet and____some much needed financial and emotional support.
1.A. accidents B. debts C. teams D. research
2.A. take out B. put out C. make out D. think about
3.A. duty B. company C. website D. power
4.A. compare B. improve C. place D. support
5.A. helped B. reminded C. beat D. taught
6.A. difficult B. easy C. merry D. casual
7.A. sister B. daughter C. mother D. assistant
8.A. inspired B. criticized C. blessed D. destroyed
9.A. paused B. started C. continued D. argued
10.A. refusing B. hoping C. regretting D. managing
11.A. pain B. fete C. life D. confusion
12.A. slow B. practical C. bitter D. quick
13.A. proud B. able C. unwilling D. tired
14.A. mental B. medical C. technical D. energetic
15.A. marriage B. journey C. divorce D. debate
16.A. poured B. wasted C. avoided D. stole
17.A. single B. learned C. noble D. lazy
18.A. never B. always C. even D. hardly
19.A. grateful B. enjoyed C. optimistic D. patient
20.A. reduce B. cancel C. confirm D. provide
There is an old Spanish Proverb which states,"Tomorrow is often the busiest day of the week".1.I'd say,too many.Our dreams should not,and cannot wait.We have to go for them now! Here's why.
1.2.Nobody likes to talk about death,but the reality is—everybody is going to die at one point.None of us know the day,or the hour.Therefore,today is all we have.Don't go to your grave with unfulfilled dreams.Make the decision to go after every dream,big or small right now.
2.The world is waiting on your gift
I know this may be hard to believe, but the world is waiting on YOU!Yes, YOU!3.Sure,other people may be able to sing.But they'll never be able to sing exactly like you.Sure other people can write,but they'll never be able to write from the same perspective in which you write.Don't deprive the world of your gift.
It's the oxygen that we need to survive.Thus,it is your responsibility to figure out exactly what your gift is,and use to better your life and the lives of those around you.
3.4.
You can dream about writing the great American play that you want,but it's never going to happen unless you actually put pen to paper.You can dream about finding a cure for cancer,but it will never happen unless you actually go to school to become equipped with the necessary tools to find that cure.5.They require you to get your head out of the clouds,and actually do the work to make them happen.Get to it!
A.You can't let fear win.
B.Tomorrow is not promised.
C.In other words,dreams don't work unless you do.
D.Possibilities you never knew existed are waiting on you
E.How many times have we put off our dreams until tomorrow?
F.Unless you take the first step,your dreams will never come true.
G.You were born into the world with a unique gift,which nobody on this earth can copy.
Chinese consumers' crazy appetite for luxury goods and services appears unstoppable,with just 2 percent of the Chinese population responsible for one-third of the world's luxury items.
As China's economic miracle develops,the market opportunities for all sorts of luxury goods and services are increasing.Luxury consumption in China now extends ways beyond well-known car,clothing and jewelry brands.For example,the luxury jet market in China is the fastest-growing in the world,even outstripping that of the United States, with a market share of 25 percent.This trend appears to continue,with 20 to 30 percent growth expected in China, compared with only 2 to3 percent in the US.But more importantly,China's luxury jet market growth represents a major development in the private consumption of luxury items.
China's high-quality red wine market also provides evidence of the growth in private consumption of luxury goods.In 2013,China became the largest market for red wine in the world,even overtaking France,with l.86 billion bottles consumed in China last year.Over the past five years,China's red wine consumption has grown 136 percent.
According to my ongoing consumer research in this area while working at the University of International Business and Economics in Beijing,public consumption of such expensive global luxury brands such as Prada and Armani is easily explained by the desire to "gain face" and publicly display social climbing through material possessions.On the other hand,it is "self-reward" that lies behind consumer motivation in this area.Chinese consumers who have experienced rapid financial and economic gains appear particularly prone to the need to reward themselves for their success.But this has little to do with "gaining face" and impressing others and much more to do with the need for personal contentment.
Finally,the growth in private luxury consumption in China is set to continue in part due to the maturity of the Chinese consumer and advancement of Chinese consumer culture generally.
1.What do you think the author would most probably be?
A. A news reporter. B. An accountant.
C. A professor. D. A conductor.
2.The underlined word "outstripping" in Paragraph 2 probably means" ".
A. falling far behind of B. going out of
C. going far ahead of D. keeping pace with
3.What can we learn from Paragraphs 2 and 3?
A. China's luxury jet market growth is only 2% to 3%.
B. France was once the largest market for red wine in the world before 2013.
C. The luxury jet market in the US shares 25%of the jet consumption in the world.
D. China's red wine consumption has increased to 1.86 billion bottles since 2013.
4.What can be the best title for the passage?
A. Future Private Luxury Consumption in China
B. Chinese Appetite for Luxury Goods and Services
C. The Potential Luxury Jet Market in China
D. The Maturity of the Chinese Consumers
At least once each winter I manage to get a good flight in the middle of a snowstorm. Last Sunday was that flight. My gliding(滑翔的) partners had looked at the weather reports of showers and decided to stay at home. People say that you shouldn’t fly by yourself, but on that day I felt the urge to go flying and so headed for my favorite gliding site.
I had the mountain ridge to myself. After a smooth lift-off, I floated stably in the breeze, feeling at peace with myself and the world. I looked across the valley to Bedford and a moment later saw the town disappear in a band of snow that was moving towards me.
The breeze remained strong enough for flying and I knew that as long as the visibility was good, it was OK for me to stay in the air. The snow moved in and swirled around me. It was a light dry snow. The day was already very quiet but, somehow, the light snow made it even more silent. I felt like a snowflake.
Two bald eagles joined me. They didn’t pay me any attention and spent a few minutes flying around the ridge before disappearing. I flew through another band of snow. I had been flying for about 45 minutes when I next looked across the valley. I could see there were more bands of snow to come and the breeze was dying too.
It was time to go home, get in a hot bath and warm up. I couldn’t wait to tell my gliding partners that they had missed out on a perfect flight.
1.Why did the author’s gliding partners refuse to fly on that day?
A. They preferred to fly alone
B. The weather did not permit
C. They did not like winter flights
D. The equipment was not adequate
2.Which is closest in meaning to the underlined word “” in Paragraph 3?
A. Weather
B. Skill
C. Possibility
D. View
3.What can be inferred from the passage?
A. The bald eagle can cause damage to the author’s flight
B. The author will land and go home after the snow stops
C. Brand of snow will be a great threat to the author’s flight
D. The author will hesitate to share his experience with his partners
4.What could be the best title for the article?
A. The First Flight Alone
B. A Narrow-Escape Flight
C. One Never-Again Flight
D. An Impressive Winter Flight
I walked up to the counter.Behind it was a lady with glasses on the tip of her nose and gray hair on her head.
"Excuse me," I said.She looked up."You're that Clements kid," she said."I'm Miss Bee.Come closer and let me get a look at you." She pushed her glasses up her nose."I can describe you to the police if something goes missing from the store."
"I'm not a thief!" I was shocked.I was seven,too young to be a thief!
"From what I can see,you're not much of anything.But I can tell you've got potential." She went back to reading her newspaper.
"I need to get these."I said,holding up my list."So? Go get them."Miss Bee pointed to a sign on the screen door. "I'm not your servant,so I suggest you get yourself a basket and start filling."
I visited Miss Bee several times a week that summer.Sometimes she short-changed me.Other times she overcharged. "That can of beans is only twenty nine cents" I corrected her one afternoon.I had watched the numbers change on the cash register closely,and Miss Bee had added 35 cents.She didn't seem embarrassed.She just looked at me over her glasses and fixed the price.
But she ever let me declare victory.All summer long she found ways to play tricks on me.No sooner had I learned how to pronounce bicarbonate of soda（小苏打）and memorized its location on the shelf than Miss Bee rearranged the shelve and made me hunt for it all over again.
One day before I left,she said,"I know what you think of me,but I don't care! Each of us is put on this earth for a reason.I believe my job is to teach every child I meet life lessons.When you get older you'll be glad our paths crossed!"Glad I met Miss Bee? Ha! The idea was absurd...
Until one day my daughter asked me to finish her math problems. "If I do it for you,how will you ever learn to do it yourself?" I said.Suddenly,I remembered the lady Miss Bee.
1.The girl felt when Miss Bee implied she could be a thief.
A. surprised B. shocked
C. puzzled D. annoyed
2.We can infer from Paragraph 6 that Miss Bee .
A. showed no care about her mistakes
B. made the girl learn to double-check
C. was always playing tricks on the girl
D. was careless and dishonest to do business
3.It can be learned from the passage that Miss Bee .
A. knew her job was to help every child she met
B. asked the girl to shop by herself to test her honesty
C. taught the girl many lessons but she didn't understand
D. rearranged the shelves to teach the girl to be changeable
4.Which is NOT the lesson the writer learnt from shopping?
A. Treat others kindly and politely.
B. Don't be so quick to judge others.
C. The best teachers aren't only in school.
D. Try our best though the task seems beyond us.
