If you frequently travel for business,Staybridge Suites offer you a range of home comforts.Four recent visitors to Staybridge Suites explain why they booked,what they enjoyed and what made them want to return.

Claire Metcalf

“The concept is great,but the staff are the ones who really make it.”she says.“It takes a lot of discipline to always be friendly,but the staff at Staybridge Suites do that.They genuinely care about you.”

Andrew Roberts

“One of the best things is having my own kitchen.I often end up working late and I don’t fancy(喜欢) eating in a restaurant on my own,so cooking for myself is a big drawcard.”

“The main thing for me is being able to cook and have my own little flat.The staff are amazing.It is great to be recognized by them,”he says.

Pauline Robinson

“What I love about it is the way that you are treated by the staff,”she says.“Some of the staff have been there all that time and they do look after you well.As a woman staying on my own,it is reassuring that they look out for you,and recently when I was poorly depressed they even brought things I needed to my room.”

Ryan Ruckledge

“The fully-equipped kitchen is great.I always have a one-bed apartment so I have a separate kitchen and dining room and I’m able to relax and cook some meals.Eating out can feel a bit much when you do it day in and day out—it makes you hate what you do—and I don’t want that.”

1.What attracts visitors to Staybridge Suites?

A. A separate dining room. B. A one—bed apartment.

C. A home from home. D. A lot of discipline.

2.Who think highly of the kitchen of Staybridge Suites?

A. Pauline Robinson and Ryan Ruckledge.

B. Ryan Ruckledge and Claire Metcalf.

C. Andrew Roberts and Ryan Ruckledge.

D. Pauline Robinson and Claire Metcalf.

3.What does the underlined word“drawcard”in Paragraph 3 probably mean?

A. barrier. B. attraction.

C. honour. D. difficulty.

4.Why does the author write the article?

A. To advertise Staybridge Suites.

B. To introduce four recent visitors.

C. To inform us of a new service.

D. To sing high praise for the staff.

The repairman told me, “No charge, Professor Pan!” We’re friends.

“I’d rather pay,’’ I replied. “If it’s free, I can’t afford it!”

Chinese often refuse payment for professional services .insisting, “We’re friends now!” But then they show up later to ask me to tutor them in English,or get them into an American university, and I wish I’d have just paid the 30 yuan I owed them in the first place!

According to the Americans, “There is no free lunch.”, means that there’s a price for everything. And I’m always looking around to figure out what this means. Many of our neighbours have given us fruit or flowers or costly teas, never asking anything in return. For years, a bicycle repairman has repeatedly refused to let me pay him. “Wait until you have something major to fix!” he insists.

I mentioned to a peasant friend that I wished I had a stone mill to grind (磨) flour for bread. A month later he showed up with a beautiful mill that he and his uncle in the countryside had carved from a solid block of stone.

Chinese generosity is a real education for Americans like me, who would rather avoid social entanglements (纠纷) and just hand over the money. But cash can’t compensate (补偿) for the greatest gift—friendship.

When an American saw some of my friends sitting on bamboo stools under the trees, sipping (呷) tea, he said, “They must have nothing better to do.” “Actually,” I said, “they are professors, with plenty to do. But probably you are right in saying that, at this moment, they have nothing better to do. And neither do I!”

And I joined the group. When chatting about tea and Chinese cooking and how much my boys have grown since we arrived, one man said, “They were pocket-sized when you came here. Now they’re taller than you. How time flies !.”

How life flies. And Chinese are smart enough to share what they know they cannot keep. They freely give off their time, never too busy to help a friend. And they are teaching me, slowly, to both give and receive. So the next time someone says, “No charge. We’re friends!” I will thank them heartily. But if they show up later asking me to tutor them in English, I’ll make sure they tutor my son in Chinese as well, because there’s still no free lunch.

1.Why did the author insist paying the repairman while he was offered free repairs?

A. Because he was an upright man.

B. Because he didn’t know the repair man

C. Because he thought it natural to pay for other’s service.

D. Because he didn’t want to help others in return.

2.Generally, the author thinks that .

A. Chinese are generous always ready to help their friends

B. Chinese are good at exchange of equal values

C. Chinese are free enough to drink and chat with their friends

D. Chinese are helpful but don’t treasure time

3.The best title for the passage should be “

A. Still No Free lunch

B. A Good Lesson From Chinese

C. True Help or Not

D. Learn to Both Give And Receive

4.Which of the following is TRUE?

A. All the Chinese that once gave the author help have asked him to tutor them in English

B. When a peasant knew the author needed a mill, he made one for the author himself

C. The author thinks that Chinese are wise enough to enjoy the limited life

D. The author thinks little of the Chinese way of life.

There was a time when cheating was rare in schools, but today everyone is focused on making the top ten percent of their class and seems to have forgotten school’s purpose. School exists so that people will be educated. Nobody can cheat their way into being successful.

A lot of students today don’t even view cheating as wrong, and most of those who cheat have been doing it for so long that it doesn’t even faze them. This really bothers the teachers because the students who usually cheat probably will never stop to think how bad it truly is. When you cheat, you learn nothing, which is why cheating is so serious.

Our society seems to believe that the more material wealth you have, the more successful you are. As a result, it seems many people have become successful by cheating their way to the top. If students think cheating is normal, who knows what they will find acceptable as adults? Most people think that cheating on one little test doesn’t mean that you will cheat again. Unfortunately, this is not true because if you can get away with it once, you are likely to do it again.

If cheating continues in college, students will get nothing out of what they are being tested on. If a college student cheats on all the work they do for their major, when and if they get a job, that person will be a total mess at work.

I am not saying that anyone who has ever cheated is a liar, because that would mean just about every student at your average school would be one, including me. What I am saying is that cheating should be more frowned upon and students should receive harsher punishments. I truly believe that if there were consequences for cheating, students would actually focus on learning. Then we all would be better educated.

1.More and more students tend to cheat in exams because they want to .

A. gain high marks B. succeed in society

C. find a good job D. finish their work quickly

2.What does the underlined word “faze” mean in the second paragraph?

A. Encourage. B. Embarrass.

C. Excite. D. Frighten.

3.What can we learn from the text?

A. Anyone who has ever cheated in school is a liar.

B. Students who never cheat in college will find a good job.

C. Getting away with punishment will lead to cheating again.

D. Most people have successfully cheated their way to the top.

4.What is the text mainly about?

A. Students’ Cheating in Schools B. Consequences of Cheating

C. Punishments for Students’ Cheating D. Students’ Cheating: Acceptable or Not?

Years ago,my wife and I volunteered at a homeless shelter in downtown Los Angeles,US,preparing meals for thousands of people.I got to talk with one of the guys in line,Albert.He said he liked my socks.“Want to see mine?”he asked,lifting his leg.He was barefoot.He said he had been meaning to buy a pair but he hadn’t got around to it.I felt a sinking feeling in my stomach.

The next day,after work,I stopped at Ross and filled up a cart with socks.I stuffed my trunk with them.That next morning,I set my alarm for 5 a.m.and drove over to Santa Monica’s Palisades Park,which is a common destination for homeless people.

I took one of the bags from my trunk.It was still darkout.I headed for a group of three men,standing around a tree,probably using it as a windbreaker.Two were asleep under heavy blankets,and the third was digging through his collection.As I walked toward him,he watched me,perhaps questioning my motives.“I thought you guys might need some fresh new socks,”I said,handing him a pair.He looked confused at first but took them and said,“Thank you.”I gave him two more pairs for his friends.

I moved on.An hour later,I had given out all the socks.Most people were sleeping,and I felt like Santa.I knew that when they woke up they would find a very meaningful present.

That was nine years ago.Every week I’ll hand out as many socks as I can.If I’m on vacation or on a business trip for more than a week,I bring a bag of socks with me and hand them out to the homeless on the streets in other states and countries.

It’s extremely satisfying to operate “under the radar” to help make some people’s lives a little bit easier.Part of me hopes to see Albert out there one of these days,but even if I don’t,I like to think one of the pairs will find him.

1.What caused the author to hand out socks to the homeless?

A. Albert’s desire to get free socks.

B. The approach of Christmas Day.

C. His hard work at a homeless shelter.

D. The conversation between him and Albert.

2.Which is true about the author according to the passage?

A. He believed it felt good to help the homeless.

B. He went to Ross to buy a pair of socks for Albert.

C. He handed out socks to the homeless as Christmas gifts.

D. He was often questioned about why he was giving out socks.

3.What could be the best title for the passage?

A. Santa Claus brings Christmas gifts

B. Kindness is rewarded with kindness

C. Every sock helps make somebody’s day

D. Socks are passed on from hand to hand

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