Did you know that money is not worth the paper it is printed on? Money is really just a symbol. 1.
Long ago, people did not use money. They made or grew food, clothes, and other things they needed. Later, people started trading. They would trade what they made to someone else in order to get different foods and goods. To trade like this is to barter（物物交换）.
The barter system was a good system. Bakers could trade bread for wheat. Weavers could trade cloth for meat. Trading not just let people work at certain jobs. 2.
But one problem with bartering was that not everyone agreed on prices. People had to work out a price each time they wanted to trade. Another problem was that the goods might be too heavy to carry. What if the cow farmer wanted to trade a cow for a horse with the horse farmer? They would have to carry their animals with them. 3. What if the cow farmer wanted to trade a cow for a chicken? A cow is worth more than a chicken. The farmer should get “change.” But how can you make change from a cow?
4. People used to use all kinds of small things for money. They used shells, beads, feathers, seeds, and even salt. A group of people would decide the worth of a kind of shell. Other kinds of shells would be worth more or less. Then people had money that was worth a certain amount. It was easy to carry. It was easy to make change.
With time going by, we finally have the money that we use today. 5.
A. This is where money comes in.
B. That means it stands for something else.
C. They made clothes from wool from their sheep.
D. Bartering did not have a way to make change, either.
E. It also gave people a way to buy things they needed.
F. With money, we don’t have to travel with chickens, cows, or clay pots!
G. When people traded, they no longer had to make everything they needed.
Like many Czechs (捷克人), Lukáš Berný, 38, enjoys going out to the pub with his friends for conversation and a few beers. “I don’t drink every day,” he says. “I think about three times a week. When I go out, I usually have five to six beers at a time, about the same as my friends.” The beers are half-liters, or 500ml each.
If a half-liter of four-percent beer contains 16g of pure alcohol（酒精）, Berný and his friends are drinking 80 to 96 grams of pure alcohol on each outing. The Czech Republic’s National Institute of Public Health, however, suggests that men take in fewer than 24g of pure alcohol per day; women, fewer than 16g.
Medical experts in over 40 countries around the world have agreed that drinking “too much” can cause harm. What they can’t seem to agree upon is just how much is “too much.” National safety levels are quite different, from a limit of 10g a day in the Netherlands to Denmark’s 60g.
There are a number of reasons for this. Dr. Larry Altshuler, a medicine expert for the Cancer Treatment Centers in Tulsa, explains that while everything is based on research, “Every group, race, and gender responds to alcohol differently.”
Also, researchers aren’t using the same models or methods. He adds, “It can be like apples and oranges. How do you measure alcohol? Units, drinks, bottles or cans? What’s the alcohol content（含量）? Is it light or heavy?” While a half-liter of four percent beer contains 16g of pure alcohol, a half-liter of five percent lager contains 20g.
Constance Scharff, a director of Addiction Research at Cliffside Malibu Treatment Center in California, says she believes the reason “is largely cultural.” “But the evidence is clear that the more you drink, the more likely you are to develop alcohol-related health problems.”
1.The first paragraph is intended to ________.
A. describe the habit of Lukáš Berný
B. advise readers to live a carefree life
C. direct readers’ attention to the topic of drinking
D. support the popular belief that Czechs fancy drinking
2.The underlined word “this” in Paragraph 4 refers to ________.
A. the alcohol limit for Czechs
B. the measurement of alcohol content
C. the concern over the harmful effects of drinking
D. the difference in national safety levels of alcohol
3.According to the passage, what might determine the national safety standards of alcohol?
A. Drinking length and alcohol containers.
B. Drinking atmosphere and alcohol quality.
C. Cultural differences and measuring methods.
D. Research results and alcohol-related health problems.
4.What may be the best title for the passage?
A. How Can Drinking Be Safe?
B. How Much Alcohol Is Too Much?
C. Why Does Alcohol Do Harm to Health?
D. What Harm Will Alcohol Cause to Us?
Who could have imagined that a treadmill（跑步机）on wheels would one day become a thing?!? Lopifit is an unusual means of transportation that allows you to power an electric bicycle by walking on a treadmill.
Lopifit founder Bruin Bergmeester says it all started when he asked himself the question “How can I use a treadmill outdoors?” He finally came up with a new design, adding an electric motor, and the Lopifit was born. It’s similar to an electric bicycle in that the motor only works when the rider puts power in as well. The Lopifit senses when you walk on the treadmill and uses the motor to turn a drive chain at the back of the treadmill, helping you reach a top speed of 17 miles per hour.
To use the Lopifit, simply turn on the battery（电池）and use your foot to slide the treadmill backwards and start the motor. Then get on and enjoy the ride! If you need speed, just walk on the treadmill, and if you want to coast（惯性滑行）, all you have to do is stay still and admire the view. To stop, you have two hand breaks.
The Lopifit first hit the streets in 2014 and, unsurprisingly, became a hit overnight. That was actually quite challenging for the company, because it started getting calls for orders, but it was nowhere near ready for mass production. The unique treadmill bicycle could be bought this year, and Lopifit is struggling to keep up with demand, although the price is up to $2,115.
Some people consider this means of transportation stupid and unnecessary, although there is a very loyal fan-base of so-called Lopifitters. They simply believe that if you’re going to walk, you might as well do it the old-fashioned way.
But the Lopifit does have the special advantage of helping you “walk” really fast without much effort, or walking at cycling speed, if you will.
1.Lopifit is an electric bicycle which ________.
A. can be powered by the drive chain
B. can work without an electric motor
C. works when you walk on the treadmill
D. stops when you slide the treadmill forward
2.What is Paragraph 3 mainly about?
A. The design of a Lopifit. B. The function of a Lopifit.
C. The structure of a Lopifit. D. The operation of a Lopifit.
3.What is probably the author’s attitude towards Lopifit?
A. Confident. B. Concerned.
C. Curious. D. Doubtful.
“Don’t get discouraged, Hallie,” Kathy said, comforting her with a hug. “It sounds as if you have a bit of a mystery to solve. Maybe you should do a little spying on Maya.”
Feeling better, Hallie put on her scuba gear（潜水服）again and waited. Maya, the dolphin, had been swimming playfully, but suddenly she threw herself to the back of the tank where the filter box（过滤箱）was located. She stuck her nose down behind the box and then swam away.
Hallie followed Maya. “What was she doing here?” she wondered. When she looked behind the box, her question was answered. She swam back and saw Maya was in front of Kathy with a comb in her mouth waiting for her treat.
“Maya! Where did you get that?” demanded Kathy, taking the comb and throwing her a fish.
“I know,” declared Hallie, handing Kathy a handful of items, “I followed her to the filter box and these are what I found.”
From the look on Kathy’s face, Hallie knew everything was beginning to come to light.
“Do you remember the other day you said that Maya really liked her treats?” asked Kathy.“Well, I think this was more than a training exercise for Maya. Every time you found something in the tank, that meant one less fish for Maya. She couldn’t bring all the items to me at once, so she found a hiding place for them. That way you came up empty-handed, but Maya would always get her treat.”
“Okay, Maya,” said Hallie facing the dolphin, “you win! The treats are all yours.”
Maya dived down, and then jumped out of the water, turning herself over in midair. Shaking their heads in disbelief, Hallie and Kathy reached for the fish. Maya deserved the treat.
1.What was the “mystery” in the story?
A. The secret of Maya’s finding the items.
B. The secret of Hallie’s winning the game.
C. The reason for Maya’s liking her treats.
D. The reason for Hallie’s spying on Maya.
2.Maya hid the items because she considered Hallie as a ________.
A. spy
B. competitor
C. playmate
D. trainer
3.At the end of the story, Hallie and Kathy thought Maya was ________.
A. energetic
B. genuine
C. loyal
D. smart
假如你是李华，你的加拿大朋友Mike在与你同一城市的国际学校读书。你收到他的email了解到他最近因为一次考试没有考好而烦恼，请按照以下内容给Mike写一封回信。
1.宽慰他；
2.给予改进学习的建议（至少两点）；
3.邀请周末去打篮球。
注意：
1.字数100字左右；
2.可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯；
3.开头和结尾已给出，不计入字数。
参考词汇：宽慰comfort
Dear Mike，
I’m sorry to hear that you failed in the last exam._________________________________________________
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Hoping everything will be fine with you.
Yours
Li Hua
1.The mother is c______ about how little food her son eats.
2.He ______ (埋葬) in the church of St. Mary’s after he died in 1874.
3.Mud and stone are traditional building m______.
4.He learned the virtue of ______ (诚实) from the story told by his grandparents.
5.It’s f______ in the room, can’t we have a fire?
6.F______, most of the villagers stuck in the earthquake were rescued.
7.She swam very well despite all her______ (残疾).
8.Our country ______ (经历) great changes in the last 30 years.
9.At present, the young always ______ (抱怨) that their parents don’t take their views seriously.
10.Here, I will ______ (强调) the importance of mathematics to the whole of science.
