Since my family were not going to be helpful about my taking a cooking job, I decided I would look for one all by myself and not to tell them about it till I’d got a permanent one.

I had seen an agency advertised in a local paper, so as soon as there was no one about to say “Where are you going?” I rushed out of the house in search of it. I was wildly excited, and as nervous as if I were going on the stage. Finding the place quite easily, I tore up three flights of stairs, and swung breathlessly through a door which said “Enter without knocking, if you please.”

The simple atmosphere of the office calmed me, and I sat down on the edge of a chair. The woman at the desk opposite looked carefully at me. Then she questioned me in a low voice. I answered softly and started to feel helpless. She wondered why I was looking for this sort of job, so I felt I had to give her the idea of a widowed mother struggling against poverty. But I felt more helpless when she told me that it would be difficult to get a job without experience or references. Suddenly, the telephone on her desk rang. While having a mysterious conversation, she kept looking at me. Then I heard her say:

“In fact, I’ve got someone here who might suit.” She wrote down a number, and my spirits rose as she held out the paper to me, saying: “Ring up this lady. She wants a cook immediately. Cook a dinner for ten people tomorrow. Could you manage that, I wonder?”

“Oh, yes,” say I—never having cooked for more than four. Then I rushed out and called the lady, Miss Cathy. I said confidently that I was just what she was looking for. “Are you sure?” she kept saying. Anyway she decided to employ me and a permanent position if I carried out the promise of my self-praise. I asked her what tomorrow’s menu was to be.

“Just a small, simple dinner: lobster cocktail, soup, turbot Mornay, fruit salad and a savory.” In a rather shaken voice I promised to turn up in good time tomorrow and rang off.

1.What did the author feel on her way?

A. Excited but worried.

B. Nervous and excited.

C. Easy and curious.

D. Helpless but excited.

2.Why didn’t the woman give the author the job at first?

A. Because the woman found that the author didn’t respect her.

B. Because the woman realized that the author made up a story.

C. Because the author hadn’t been a cook before or got a reference.

D. Because the woman had already hired a more suitable cook.

3.According to the passage, what would the author most probably do after the call?

A. Read some cookery book.

B. Call her family and tell them the news.

C. Go to the woman’s house.

D. Buy what the woman told her at once.

Europe loves bicycle

Cycling isn’t always easy. Busy streets, noisy horns, and inadequate bike lanes and parking areas can make it an uphill battle. But not even these difficulties can stop Europeans passion for cycling. According to BBC,bicycles outsold cars in 26 of the European Union’s 28 states last year.

In some European countries just like Denmark and the Netherlands, people really love bicycles.

But BBC reported that Spain is also embracing bicycling: for the first time on record, bicycles outsold cars in the country in 2012.

And it’s becoming a continent-wide phenomenon. “people ride to work and take their bikes to the grocery

store,” Bill Strickland, executive editor of Bicycling magazine, told Reuters.

So what has led to cycling’s growing popularity in Europe?

“Cycling is a safe, clean, healthy way to get around,” the Daily Star concluded. “it not only reduces traffic congestion and pollution, abut also contributes to public health.”

Bike-friendly policies have also contributed to the phenomenon.

Dozens of cities have joined a European Union initiative(倡议) to make bicycles on the par with (与......平分秋色) cars as a form of urban transport. Quite a few cities such as Stockholm, London, Florence and Munich now offer extensive networks of well-marked bike lanes.

Copenhagen take it as a step future by keeping bicycles and motor vehicles physically separate as much as possible. On these routes, stoplights are adjusted to the rhythms of bicycles, not cars. And the routs are lined with bicycle pump stations that are designed to the Daily Star.

For people living far from city centers, getting to work by bicycles alone may not be time-efficient. That’s why many European countries now allow cyclists to bring their bicycles onto subway trains.

Europeans are also creative in solving parking problems. The Daily Star reported that Amsterdam has come up with a high-tech solution: you lock your bike to a rack (架子), which then revolves underground. When you want your bike back, the rack rotates (旋转) it back to the surface.

1.Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the article?

A. In Denmark, all bike lanes are separated from motorized traffic.

B. In Copenhagen, cyclists are given priority (优先) over drivers in many traffic situations.

C. Bicycles are not allowed to be taken onto subway trains in most European countries.

D. Amsterdam’s cycling network and underground parking system is the most advanced in the world.

2.The underlined word “embracing” in Para3 is closest in the meaning to _____.

A. getting worries about

B. taking little interest in

C. accepting gladly

D. including as a part of something larger

3.What’s the purpose of the underlined sentence?

A. It shows the popularity of bicycles.

B. It shows why people dislike bicycles.

C. It serves as an introduction of why Europeans like bicycles.

D. It serves as a warning of difficulty in riding a bicycle.

4.More and more Europeans prefer bicycles because ________.

A. They think cycling is a safe, clean, healthy, inexpensive way to get around.

B. Cars are usually caught in traffic jams.

C. Governments require them to do so.

D. It is convenient to park their bicycles.

Sports can help you keep fit and get in touch with nature. However, whether you are on the mountains, in the waves, or on the grassland, you should be aware that your sport of choice might have great influence on the environment.

Some sports are resource-hungry. Golf, as you may know, eats up not only large areas of countryside, but also tons of water. Besides, all sorts of chemicals and huge amounts of energy are used to keep its courses(球场) in good condition. This causes major environmental effects. For example, in the dry regions of Portugal and Spain, golf is often held responsible for serious water shortage in some local areas.

There are many environment-friendly sports. Power walking is one of them that you could take up today. You don’t need any special equipment except a good pair of shoes; and you don’t have to worry about resources and your purse. Simple and free, power walking can also keep you fit. If you walk regularly, it will be good for your heart and bones. Experts say that 20 minutes of power walking daily can make you feel less anxious, sleep well and have better weight control.

Whatever sport you take up, you can make it greener by using environment-friendly equipment and buying products made from recycled materials. But the final goal should be “green gyms”. They are better replacements for traditional health clubs and modern sports centers. Members of green gyms play sports outdoors, in the countryside or other open spaces. There is no special requirement for you to start your membership. And best of all, it’s free.

1.Which of the following is the author most probably support?

A. Cycling around a lake.

B. Motor racing in the desert.

C. Playing basketball in a gym.

D. Swimming in a sports center.

2.What do we know about golf from the passage?

A. It is popular in Portugal and Spain.

B. It causes water shortages around the world.

C. It pollutes the earth with chemicals and wastes.

D. It needs water and electricity to keep its courses green.

3.The author uses power walking as an example mainly because______.

A. it is an outdoor sport

B. it improves our health

C. it uses fewer resources

D. it is recommended by experts

4.The author writes the passage to_______.

A. show us the function of major sports

B. encourage us to go in for green sports

C. discuss the major influence of popular sports

D. introduce different types of environment-friendly sports

The following is the story of a SARS patient named Wang and his fight with the disease.

I woke up around 6 : 30 this morning, on my ninth day in hospital since I caught SARS. Glancing over at my roommate, Xiao Huang, a 27-year-old employee of a Beijing software company, I saw he was also awake.

After a light breakfast, a nurse came in and took my temperature. It was 36.6 centigrade. We’re at Changxindian Hospital in southwestern Beijing, a newly named SARS patient hospital. It seems I am now recovering as my fever has gone down in recent days. When I first got the disease , I spent four days with a temperature above 39.5 centigrade—at one point it reached 40. 1 centigrade.

At 8 : 30 am, a nurse took a blood sample and X-ray of my chest. Then my daily treatment began with the help of the experts from Guangdong and WHO.

Before the first bottle finished, my wife rang me. I talked with her on my mobile phone. It has become a major connection with the outside world. Several friends also called me in the morning.

I am feeling great these days—no fever, no headache and no pain in the chest, which are all symptoms(症状)of SARS. My slight cough is gone since I began taking a new round of medicines yesterday. The doctor told me that I may be set free from hospital in two weeks and a half.

1.Where is the hospital the writer stays at?

A. In the south of Beijing.

B. To the east of Beijing.

C. In the southwest of Changxindian.

D. In the southwest of Beijing.

2.How long does the writer have to stay altogether in the hospital before he is sent home?

A. Seventeen days.

B. Nine days

C. More than thirty days.

D. More than twenty-five days.

3.According to the passage, which of the following statements is true?

A. When he first got the disease, his temperature once reached1 41.5 centigrade.

B. His medical treatment came after he had breakfast.

C. He lived in a room of the hospital alone.

D. He talked with his wife by fax.

4.According to the passage, which of the following is NOT the symptoms of SARS?

A. Having a high fever.

B. Having a headache.

C. Feeling pain in the chest.

D. Feeling cold all day.

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