Directions: For each blank in the following passage there are four words or phrases marked A, B, C and D. Fill in each blank with the word or phrase that best fits the context.
Who buy the presents? How much should we spend? Questions about money like these ___50___ during the holidays, and they can turn this wonderful season into the most ___51___ time of the year.
The ___52___ cause of holiday stress is money issues, according to a recent poll by the American Psychological Association (APA). The survey found that 61 percent of Americans ___53___ lack of money as the top cause of family tensions, holiday blues and depression.
“People believe that they can go out and buy gifts because it’s the holidays, ___54___they can’t afford to do so,” says Dorothy Cantor, a noted psychologist and former APA president. “Not only is it stressful to feel that you have to buy everyone an expensive gift, but you will also be stressed for the rest of the year trying to pay your ___55___. You can show love and caring by giving something that you know is meaningful and ___56___ that doesn’t have to cost a lot.”
While managing money issues during the holiday season can be a ___57___, financial experts agree that you can ___58___ pressure by planning ahead, exhibiting patience and managing expectations to make the holiday season enjoyable and worry-free.
For starters, make an agreement with family members to discuss holiday spending and finances before you make any ___59___. The goal here is to learn one another’s thoughts and feelings about priorities and wishes. Be realistic, decide together on a budget and only use cash, rather than using credit cards. Avoid getting ___60___ unreasonable expectations. It makes no ___61___ to buy gifts you can not afford and put additional financial and emotional stress on yourself and your family that will cause problems long after the holidays are over.
Other ways to ___62___ the burden of money-related holiday blues include an understanding that everyone faces money problems at one time or another. It’s important to keep your ___63___ situation in perspective, to learn from experience and then to proceed with your life.
And lastly, make focusing on financial solutions a part of your New Year’s resolution. It’s the perfect time to take a __64___ approach by doing some soul-searching, forgiving yourself, letting go of the past and dealing with your financial problems in a businesslike manner each day.

【小题1】
A.break upB.pop upC.put outD.wipe out
【小题2】
A.ridiculousB.inconvenientC.stressfulD.mysterious
【小题3】  
A.immediateB.socialC.hiddenD.leading
【小题4】  
A.listedB.feltC.resistedD.charged
【小题5】  
A.as ifB.even ifC.as long asD.if only
【小题6】
A.priceB.lifeC.ratesD.bills
【小题7】A. resistant       B. random           C. personal     D profitable
【小题8】
A.successB.reminderC.pleasureD.challenge
【小题9】
A.polishB.postponeC.minimizeD.preserve
【小题10】
A.excusesB.purchasesC.statementsD.inquiries
【小题11】
A.caught up inB.ended up withC.put up inD.made up for
【小题12】  
A.effortsB.revengeC.desireD.sense
【小题13】
A.easeB.resignC.launchD.transfer
【小题14】  
A.inadequateB.financialC.internalD.private
【小题15】
A.reverseB.tenderC.grandD.positive

If you see someone drowning, speed is very important. Once you get him out of the water, if he isn't breathing, you have four minutes before his brain is completely destroyed. Support his neck, move his head back and press his chin upwards. This stops the tongue blocking the airway in the throat and is sometimes enough to get him breathing again. If that doesn't work, start mouth-to-mouth breathing. Press his nostrils (the two holes at the end of your nose, through which you breathe and smell things) together with your fingers. Open your mouth and take a deep breath. Blow into his lungs until his chest rises, then remove your mouth and watch his chest fall. Repeat twelve times a minute. Keep doing until professional help arrives.

To bring a child back to life, keep your lips around his mouth and gently blow into his mouth. Give the first four breaths as quickly as possible to fill the blood with oxygen. If, in spite of your efforts, he starts turning a blue-grey colour, and you can feel no pulse(脉搏), then pressing is the last chance of saving his life.

With arms straight, rock forwards, pressing down on the lower half of the breastbone. Don't be too hard or you may break a rib. Check how effective you are by seeing if his colour improves or his pulse becomes independent to your chest pressing. If this happens, stop the pressing. Otherwise continue until rescue arrives.

1.If you want to save someone drowning, you __________.

A.have to pull off his clothes first .

B.should try to get him out of water as quickly as possible.

C.should first make out who he is.

D.ought to throw a life coat to him first .

2.Once a person stops breathing, it means ___________.

A.you have no more than 4 minutes to bring him to life again .

B.his brain is completely damaged .

C.he has passed away.

D.there is no way to save his life .

3.To press his chin upwards is a way to _____________.

A.keep the tongue from blocking the airway in the throat .

B.prevent the tongue from stopping the airway in the throat .

C.wipe the tongue out of the throat .

D.see if he can possibly be saved .

4.If the drowning boy has no pulse,_____________.

A.press his chin upwards is enough to get him breathing .

B.blow air into his mouth is sure to save his life .

C.press his nostrils together with your fingers can work .

D.press is the last chance of saving his life .

5.Which of the following statement is true?

A.Don’t stop pressing his chest, if the drowning man starts breathing again.

B.If you see someone drowning, you must give him mouth-to-mouth breathing.

C.If a man does not breathe for four minutes, his brain will be completely destroyed.

D.When pressing, you can do it as hard as you can.

 

While watching the Olympics the other night, I came across an unbelievable sight. It was not a gold medal, or a world record broken, but a show of courage.

The event was swimming and started with only three men on the blocks. For one reason or another, two of them false started, so they were disqualified. That left only one to compete. It would have been difficult enough, not having anyone to race against, even though the time on the clock is important.

I watched the man dive off the block and knew right away that something was wrong. I’m not an expert swimmer, but I can tell a good dive from a poor one, and this was not exactly medal quality. When he resurfaced, it was evident that the man was not out for gold – his arms were waving in an attempt at freestyle. The crowd started to laugh. Clearly this man was not a medal competitor.

I listened to the crowd begin to laugh at this poor man who was clearly having a hard time. Finally he made his turn to start back. It was pitiful. He made a few desperate strokes and you could tell he was worn out.

But in those few awful strokes, the crowd had changed.

No longer were they laughing, but beginning to cheer. Some even began to stand and shout “Come on, you can do it!” and he did.

A clear minute past the average swimmer, this young man finally finished his race. The crowd went wild. You would have thought that he had won the gold, and he should have. Even though he recorded one of the slowest times in Olympic history, this man gave more heart than any of the other competitors.

Just a short year ago, he had never even swum, let alone race. His country had been invited to Sydney.

In a competition where athletes remove their silver medals feeling they have somehow been cheated out of gold, or when they act so proudly in front of their competitors, it is nice to watch an underdog.

1.From the passage we can learn that the young man         .

A.made his turn to start back pitifully          B.was skillful in freestyle in the game

C.swam faster than the average swimmer       D.was not capable enough to win the medal

2.The crowd changed their attitudes because          .

A.they felt sorry for the young man           B.they were moved by the young man’s courage

C.they wanted to show their sympathy         D.they meant to please the young man

3.According to the passage, “it is nice to watch an underdog” probably means          .

A.it’s amazing to watch an ordinary man challenging himself

B.it’s amusing to watch a man with awful swimming skills

C.it’s cheerful for athletes to act proudly before their competitors

D.it’s brave enough for some athletes to remove the silver medals

4.Which of the following is NOT true according to the passage?

A.The event started with three men, two of whom were disqualified later.

B.The crowd started to laugh at the athlete’s arms waving in an attempt at freestyle.

C.The athlete, as well as the author, is an expert swimmer.

D.The swimming event is a show of courage rather than a fierce competition.

5.What’s the best title for the passage?

A.Compete for Gold!                      B.Try again!

C.Break a Record!                        D.Go for it!

 

For the past year, the World Food Program has operated a project to prevent hunger in twenty-one countries in Africa. In the project, the United Nations agency works with small farmers to grow more and better produce.

The World Food Program buys the produce through local cooperative associations. Then it distributes the products within the country or area. The project works mainly with women. Sheila Sisulu from the World Food Program says the project aims to break a cycle that keeps people hungry. The situation is that farmers have to sell their produce at low prices after harvest, when supplies are greatest. Then they have to pay high prices to buy food for themselves during the "lean season," when supplies are limited.

But when farmers produce more food, they can sell more. And when they produce high-quality food, they can get higher prices. They can also store food for themselves, and have enough money to buy food if they need to during the lean season. Sheila Sisulu says the farmers are now starting to earn profits through the project.

The Food and Agriculture Organization and the International Fund for Agricultural Development help the farmers choose the best seeds and fertilizers. They also advise the farmers on the quality levels that the World Food Program requires to buy their produce.

Two other groups recently launched a separate effort to increase food security in Africa. The groups are the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa and the New Partnership for Africa's Development. They say African governments have to increase their investment in agriculture in order to fight problems related to climate change. The groups want the governments to develop programs in seeds, soil health, policy and markets.

Former United Nations chief Kofi Annan is the chairman of AGRA. The group's president, Namanga Ngongi, says many African governments are not meeting a target of spending ten percent of their national budgets on agriculture. But he says investment has risen from four percent of national budgets to probably five and a half percent today.

1. The underlined word “lean” in Paragraph 2 probably has the same meaning with ______.

A. He is a tall, lean and handsome boy, liked by many girls.

B. The changes made the company leaner and more competitive.

C. The company recovered well after going through several lean years.

D. The doctor told him that lean meat was healthier for his mother than fatty meat.

2. According to Sheila Sisulu, the project _____.

A. distributes the products within the whole world

B. has benefited few African farmers during the past year

C. enables the African farmers to sell their produce at low prices after harvest

D. can help the farmers to get away from the situation that keeps them hungry

3. The problem of hunger in Africa can possibly be relieved by ______.

A. United Nations chief

B. the World Food Program

C. African governments and farmers

D. the Food and Agriculture Organization

4. Which can be the best title?

A. Hunger, the most serious problem in Africa      

B. Two efforts seek to increase food security in Africa

C. A project to grow more and better produce in Africa

D. More investments in agriculture by African governments

 

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