In Chinese we say,"Your handwriting says a lot about you."But in the eyes of South African photographer John Thackwray,someone's bedroom can do just the same thing.

Thackwray,30,first had the idea of taking pictures of people's bedrooms six years ago,because he was curious how young people born in the 1980s and 1990s lived their lives.And he started with his friends' in Paris.

Soon he decided to take this project a little further.Over the past six years,Thackwray has traveled to 55 countries and taken pictures of 1,200 bedrooms—from New York,one of the world's busiest and most developed cities,to Russia,Thailand,Iran and the poor neighborhoods in Nairobi,and cast African countries.

From the layout of the rooms and the little items in them,you can not only see how different people's lifestyles and personalities are,but also get an insight into how unequal the world is and how traditions are replaced by new technology.

Now Thackwray has put all his photos into a book named My Room Project.Each photo in the book comes with the name,age and job of its owner,and they are arranged in the order of his travels.But Thackwray got a lot more from the project than the chance to publish a book.He also saw a lot of things,met a lot of people and had many great experiences.

"I was impressed by the spirituality in India,the friendliness of the Russian people and the craziness of the Japanese lifestyle,"Thackwray told The Huffington Post.

1.What does the underlined part in the first paragraph mean?

A. one's bedroom says much about his handwriting.

B. one's bedroom and handwriting are the same thing.

C. one's bedroom says much about his personality.

D. people do the same the thing in their bedrooms.

2.Which of the following information about John Thackwray is true?

A. The pictures Thackwray has taken are more from developed countries than developing countries.

B. The idea of taking bedroom pictures occurred to Thackwray when he was 24.

C. Thackwray began the project with taking the pictures of his own bedroom.

D. The photos in the book My Room Project are put in the order of time.

3.What does the word "insight" in the fourth paragraph mean?

A. achievement B. understanding

C. chance D. curiosity

4.Which of the followings will be the suitable title for the text?

A. Photos in bedrooms B. Handwriting and photos

C. Impressive six years D. Photos telling stories

Once, when I was a teenager, my father and I were standing in line to buy tickets for the circus. Finally, there was only one family between us and the ticket counter.

This family made a big impression on me. There were eight children, all probably under the age of twelve. You could tell they didn’t have a lot of money.

Their clothes were not expensive, but they were clean. The children were well-behaved, all of them standing in line, two-by-two behind their parents, holding hands. They were excitedly talking about the clowns, elephants, and other acts they would see that night with their brothers or sisters in a low voice.

One could sense they had never been to the circus before. It promised to be highlight of their young lives. The father and mother were at the head of the pack, standing proud as could be. The mother was holding her husband’s hand, looking up at him as if to say, “You are my knight in shining armor.”

He was smiling and responding in pride, looking back at her as if to say, “You got that right.” The ticket lady asked the father how many tickets he wanted. He proudly responded, “Please let me buy eight children’s tickets and two adult tickets so I can take my family to the circus.”

The ticket lady gave the price. The man’s wife let go of his hand, her head dropped, and his lips began to shake. The father leaned a little closer and asked, “How much did you say?”

The ticket lady again quoted the price. The man didn’t have enough money.

How was he supposed to turn and tell his eight children that he didn’t have enough money to take them to the circus?

Actually we were not wealthy in any sense. So I understand how the kids would feel. I felt sorry for them.

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Paragraph 1

Seeing what was going on, my dad put his hand in his pocket, pulled out a $20 bill and dropped it on the ground. ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Paragraph 2

That day my father and I went back to our car and drove home without any tickets. ___________

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

When Regina Spektor moved to the Bronx from Russia as a young child of 9, she could speak no English and her family was so poor that they could afford nothing. Yet she carried with her a love of the piano and music.

"For me, the thing that I loved the most was playing the piano, so when we left Russia I was so afraid I would forget how to play and I would just find a little table and play my pieces," she told "When you spend your life doing something like playing the piano and then you take that away, it's so surreal."(离奇的)

Her father, Ilya Spektor, said that, little by little, the family saved enough money to afford their first apartment.

"I was a photographer and, in six weeks, I found my first job in a big photo lab in Manhattan," he said. On the subway one day, Ilya Spektor spotted a man carrying a violin case. The man also seemed to have an Eastern European accent. A conversation led to a visit and, eventually, Regina Spektor was introduced to Sonia Vargas, a piano teacher. She was a well-known professor who taught piano, took Spektor under her wing and trained her for years, at no cost. "I remember talking to Sonia," Spektor said. "She said that when a student is ready, a teacher appears. So she said that I must have been ready to study piano, and so that's why she came into my life."

"Immediately, how she played," Vargas said. "You can tell the sound. The sound tell you whether the person loves the instrument, loves the music."

Much later, while playing her own music and selling a CD that she'd created, Regina Spektor caught the attention of a music producer. The rest is history, complete with concerts around the world and performance in front of the Obamas at the White House.

Regina Spektor greatly appreciated her parents, piano teachers and friends for helping her become the musician she is. “I love the idea that if you’re walking toward the world, the world will take some steps towards you,” she said.

1.When Regina Spektor was in Russia, she _________.

A. spoke English very fluently B. could afford a new piano

C. learned how to play the piano D. was directed by a famous teacher

2.Why could Ilya Spektor make the acquaintance of Sonia Vargas?

A. Sonia Vargas was very famous. B. They were all Russians.

C. They had a common friend. D. Ilya Spektor was a good talker.

3.What does the author mainly want to tell us?

A. The world welcomes any musician.

B. Life is filled with struggles more than love.

C. Regina Spektor deserves to perform at the White House.

D. The world doesn’t ignore those who fight for their dreams.

Hobbies are an important part of life. A great hobby will help you feel relaxed, will allow you to learn more about yourself, and will help you in developing life skills and in learning lessons that will make you live a better life. From painting to reading, there are a large number of hobbies you can take up. If you’re choosing a new hobby, the following suggestions can help you:

When looking for a new hobby, you can think about the subjects you like to learn about, or the things you enjoy doing. For example, if you’re a woman, you can take up hobbies like cooking, gardening, and more. If you’re a man, you can consider hobbies like hunting, fishing, sports, and more.

Are you a good writer, speaker, painter, or an expert at something else? Think hard about it by going over this question. You’ll certainly find your passion (激情), and this will guide you to choose a hobby that suits you.

Pay attention to your talks. What do you enjoy talking about or can go on talking about easily? You may ask others about the topics you talk about the most. Your conversations can show a lot about your passion which can be developed into a hobby.

Anyhow, picking a new hobby is a big decision, as this is an activity that you’ll spend much time and money on. But remember, it’s just a hobby. You can always consider something different if you find that the activity you chose isn’t as satisfying as you thought it would be.

1.Why should we take up some hobbies?

A. To live a better life. B. To make new friends.

C. To keep healthy. D. To find a good job.

2.What can help you with your choice of a hobby, according to Paragraph 2?

A. Occupation. B. Experience.

C. Interest. D. Money.

3.What can guide you to choose a hobby that suits you?

A. Your teacher. B. Your passion.

C. Your talks. D. Your lifestyle.

4.What does the author mean in the last paragraph?

A. You should stick to your hobby all the time.

B. It takes all your life to find a suitable hobby.

C. It is always too difficult to keep a hobby.

D. You can change your hobby if necessary.

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