No one can deny that buttons are an important device. Whenever we see a button, we are eager to press it because we know something will happen. This is true in most cases, for example on a doorbell and on the “on/off” button on the TV. But some buttons are actually fake, like the “close” button on a lift.
Many people are in the habit of pressing the “close” button because they don’t have the patience to wait for the lift doors to shut. But lifts’ “close” buttons are a complete scam (骗局), at least in the US － the doors will not close any faster no matter how hard you press.
It started in the 1990s when the Americans with Disabilities Act was passed in the US, making sure that all lifts stayed open long enough so that people with disabilities could enter. Only US firefighters and repairmen can use the buttons to speed up the door-closing process if they have a code or special keys.
But to normal lift riders, the buttons aren’t completely useless. According to psychologists, fake buttons can actually make you feel better by offering you a sense of control.
“Perceived (能够感知的) control is very important. It reduces stress and increases well-being,” Ellen J. Langer, a psychology professor, said, “ having a lack of control is associated with depression.”
Experts have revealed that a lot of buttons that don’t do anything exist in our lives for this same purpose. For example, many offices in the US have fake thermostats (温度调节器) because people tend to feel better when they think they can control the temperature in their workspace.
But psychologists found it interesting that even when people are aware of these little “white lies”, they still continue to push fake buttons because as long as the doors eventually close, it is considered to be worth the effort.
“That habit is here to stay,” John Kounios, a psychology professor, said. “Even though I have real doubts about the traffic light buttons, I always press them. After all, I’ve got nothing else to do while waiting. So why not press the button in the hope that this one will work?”
1.What was the author’s main purpose in writing the article?
A. To explore people’s different habits when it comes to pushing buttons.
B. To describe some different kinds of fake buttons.
C. To explain the advantages and disadvantages of fake buttons.
D. To analyze the functions of fake buttons.
2.In America, the “close” buttons on lifts _______.
A. are fake for the convenience of disabled people
B. work only when people press them hard for a while
C. were specially designed to give people a sense of control
D. cannot speed up the process of closing the door in any case
3.The underlined part “for this same purpose” in Paragraph 6 refers to _______.
A. making people more patient
B. giving people perceived control
C. helping people to build up confidence
D. making people with depression feel better
4.According to John Kounios, people who press fake buttons ______.
A. should give up this habit
B. consider what they do to be meaningless
C. probably do so to kill time
D. don’t know that what they press is fake
Several times my daughter had telephoned to say, “Mum, you must come and see the daffodils(水仙花)before they are over.” I wanted to go, but it was a two-hour drive from Lake Arrowhead. "I will go next Tuesday," I promised, a little unwillingly, on her third call.
The next Tuesday dawned cold and rainy. Still, I had promised, and so I drove there. When I finally walked into Carolyn’s house and hugged and greeted my grandchildren, I said, "Forget the daffodils, Carolyn! The road is invisible (看不见的) in the cloud and fog, and there is nothing in the world except you and these children that I want to see!"
My daughter smiled calmly and said, "We drive in this weather all the time, Mum. You will never forgive yourself if you miss this experience."
After about twenty minutes, we turned onto a small road and I saw a small church. On the far side of the church, I saw a hand-lettered sign that read "Daffodil Garden."
We got out of the car and each took a child’s hand, and I followed Carolyn down the path. Then, we turned a corner of the path, and I looked up amazed. Before me lay the most beautiful sight. Flows of flowers of different colors seemed poured down the peak and slopes. There were five acres of flowers! A sea of daffodil! It was like a fairyland all beyond description.
"But who has done this?" I asked Carolyn. "It’s just one woman." Carolyn answered. "That's her home." Carolyn pointed to a well-kept A-frame house that looked small and modest in the midst of all that glory. We walked up to the house. On the patio (露台), we saw a poster." Answers to the Questions I Know You Are Asking" was the headline.
The first answer was a simple one. "50,000 bulbs (鳞茎)" it read. The second answer was, "One at a time, by one woman." The third answer was, "Began in 1958."
I thought of this woman whom I had never met, who, more than fifty years before, had begun one bulb at a time to bring the beauty and joy to the mountain top. Just planting one bulb at a time, year after year, had changed the world where she lived and created something of magnificence, beauty, and inspiration.
When we multiply tiny pieces of time with small amounts of daily effort, we too can accomplish great things. Everyone can do something to change the world.
1.The writer wasn’t going to see the daffodils at first because ______.
A. she cared more about the children B. they were on a remote mountain top
C. the weather was not good enough D. it was not easy for her to drive there
2.What do we know from the passage about the woman who grew daffodil?
A. She must have been a modest woman.
B. It took her great determination to grow the daffodils.
C. She worked as a professional gardener.
D. Being poor, she made a living by selling daffodils.
3.What has the writer learned from this experience?
A. It’s never too late to learn
B. We must put the interests of others above our own.
C. Accumulation of small steps may lead to something magnificent
D. People can change the world where they live by growing flowers
4.Which may be the best title for the passage?
A. One Bulb at a Time B. I Love Daffodils
C. The Daffodil Garden D. An Unforgettable Experience
假如你是李华，你的朋友Tom邀请你下周去他们学校参加文化交流活动并邀请你向外国朋友介绍中国传统绘画。但你忙于准备下周的考试，不得不拒绝邀请。请根据下面的要点用英语写一封电子邮件：
1.谢绝邀请；2.说明理由；3.推荐朋友王云参加，并说明原因（如从小学习绘画，很了解中国传统绘画以及英语口语情况和个性情况等）
注意：1.词数100左右，开头和结尾已经给出，不计入总词数；
2.可适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。
Dear Tom,
Thank you very much for your invitation.________________ ______________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
Best wishes to you!
Yours,
Li Hua
假定英语课上老师要求同桌之间交换修改作文，请你修改你同桌系的以下作文。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：在缺词处加一个漏词符号（∧），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.每处错误及修改均仅限一词；
2.只允许修改10处，多者（从第11处起）不计分。
It was on a warm autumn day that my father and I walk into my new high school. After registered in the classroom, I was taken to my dormitory by the volunteer. Altogether I had five roommates, two of which arrived later. I got to know my new roommate immediately. Although I was quite unwilling to say “Goodbye” to my father, but he had to leave to home. I suddenly realized I had grown up and that I had to look after me and live independently. Not until then I know my senior high school life had real begun.
I was driving home late1.my car lost momentum(动力) and got slower and slower. Nothing I did seemed to make any2. different). “It can’t be fuel,’ I thought. The petrol gauge (汽油标量) was showing I had plenty3.(leave). Then my car died completely after I4.( manage) to roll to the side of the road. It was an extremely dark, lonely country road. Neither a single person 5.any traffic was in sight at all. I felt like an idiot. I should not have left without charging my cell phone. The battery was dead and I was alone without any way6.(contact) my family. Time dripped slowly like a leaking tap.
“God, help me !” I begged anxiously. “Is there someone who will be kind enough to stop and help me out?” 7., there was no sign of anyone. I was starting to panic,8.(feel) completely abandoned. Suddenly I saw a faint light 9.the distance. I waved my white scarf as hard as possible. It was a huge lorry. The driver stopped and kindly drove me to the nearest hotel, 10.I had a rest, and I called my family and explained what had happened . How lucky I was! When he stopped for me, I felt as if I had just found a million dollars.
When Alice started to cycle home from Jenny’s house, she wasn’t nervous. She was certainly not afraid of the dark. ________, it was only a 15-minute ride home. But halfway there, she began to wish that she hadn’t been so ________.
As she rounded a sharp bend, it suddenly ________ cold — very cold. Alice’s breath became puffs of white cloud and her legs were so cold that it became hard to ride.
With her heart beating fast, she struggled so hard to move ______ that she didn’t hear the car which suddenly appeared beside her. She stopped by the road. The big black car also ________. Slowly, the passenger-window began to slide down. Alice held her breath. In the soft light inside the car, something ________. Then, the light brightened and Alice was staring at a sweet, grey-haired old lady. “Hello, dear, ” said the old lady. “I need _______. I’m afraid I’m lost. I need to find the nearest airport. I must be there in the next five minutes. ”
“Airport? You ________ are lost, ” Alice said. “You need to go back five kilometers ________ you reach the T-junction. Turn left and ________ for about another 10 kilometers to the main highway. From there, just follow the ________ to the airport. But I’m afraid there’s no ________ you’ll get there in five minutes!”
“Thank you very much, dear, ” replied the old lady. “Don’t worry — I’ll ______ in time. ”
The ________ moved up and the car started off. A little way ahead, it ________ and with headlights flashing, it drove past Alice. But then, something ________ happened. The car began changing. First, its color ________ from black to silvery-grey. Then, the wheels began disappearing, but the car continued to move forward, ________ just above the ground. As the car ________ into the dark sky, the b
ig red tail-lights grew larger and larger and glowed more and more brightly. With a faint whistling ________, the car was gone in seconds, leaving Alice shaking her head in disbelief…
1.A. However B. Besides C. Therefore D. Otherwise
2.A. brave B. excited C. curious D. stubborn
3.A. fell B. seemed C. proved D. grew
4.A. aside B. around C. forward D. backward
5.A. arrived B. stopped C. stayed D. Started
6.A. gathered B. existed C. dropped D. moved
7.A. help B. gas C. rest D. water
8.A. necessarily B. normally C. basically D. certainly
9.A. if B. until C. unless D. as
10.A. drive B. walk C. follow D. march
11.A. address B. signs C. notices D. guidance
12.A. doubt B. room C. time D. way
13.A. have it B. get it C. make it D. finish it
14.A. door B. window C. headlight D. wheel
15.A. passed B. rushed C. turned D. continued
16.A. strange B. sensitive C. imaginable D. horrible
17.A. developed B. appeared C. spread D. faded
18.A. rolling B. floating C. drawing D. flashing
19.A. pointed B. returned C. broke D. rose
20.A. tune B. voice C. sound D. tone
