Both of my parents worked full-time when I was a little girl, so my grandmother would stay at our house during the day. We would watch game shows in the living room. Our favorite was The Price is Right. We would call out our answers along with the contestants.

When I got older and started going to school, we couldn't watch our game shows regularly. That was okay with me, though, because the one thing I liked better than watching game shows with my grandmother was helping her bake cakes. Watching her in the kitchen was amazing: she never seemed to need the recipes but everything she made tasted delicious.

At first I would just sit in the kitchen and watch, even though I didn’t understand what she was doing, As I got older, she let me help with the easy parts, such as measuring the sugar. The day she let me separate the eggs, I felt like I had found complete pleasure.

At last, my parents decided that I could take care of myself, and my grandmother stopped coming over every day. The love of baking, however, stayed with me. I started baking by myself, and even if the cookies ended up burnt sometimes, more often they turned out pretty well. I tried out new recipes, and whenever I got to a thorny part, I would call my grandmother for advice. Sometimes I would call her just to talk, too. I felt like I could talk to her about anything.

My grandmother passed away ten years ago, but I still think of her every day. Last week, I found a recipe book she made for me. It included her recipes for brownies, cookies, and my favorite, lemon pie. As I looked through the pages, I thought I could hear her voice. She was the one who taught me not just about baking, but about life.

1.What’s the author’s purpose in writing this passage?

A. To show her good baking skills.

B. To remember her grandmother.

C. To talk about her happy family life.

D. To describe her childhood memories.

2.While helping her grandmother bake, the author ______.

A. found it interesting and appealing

B. turned out to be a troublemaker

C. hoped to make a living by baking

D. regretted missing the game shows

3.What does the underlined word "thorny" in Paragraph 4 most probably mean?

A. basic. B. common. C. special.D. difficult.

4.The passage is mainly developed by ______.

A. analyzing causes

B. making comparisons

C. following the time order

D. examining differences

Phil White has just returned from an 18,000-mile, around-the-world bicycle trip. White had two reasons for making this epic journey. First of all, he wanted to use the trip to raise money for charity, which he did. He raised £70,000 for the British charity, Oxfam. White's second reason for making the trip was to break the world record and become the fastest person to cycle around the world. He is still waiting to find out if he has broken the record or not.

White set off from Trafalgar Square, in London, on 19th June 2004 and was back 299 days later. He spent more than l,300 hours in the saddle(车座) and destroyed four sets of tyres and three bike chains. He had the adventure of his life crossing Europe, the Middle East, India, Asia, Australia, New Zealand and the Americas. Amazingly, he did all of this with absolutely no support team. No jeep carrying food, water and medicine. No doctor. Nothing! Just a bike and a very, very long road.

The journey was lonely and desperate at times. He also had to fight his way across deserts, through jungles and over mountains. He cycled through heavy rains and temperatures of up to 45 degrees, all to help people in need. There were other dangers along the road. In Iran, he was chased by armed robbers and was lucky to escape with his life and the little money he had. The worst thing that happened to him was having to cycle into a headwind on a road that crosses the south of Australia. For l,000 kilometers he battled against the wind that was constantly pushing him. This part of the trip was slow, hard work and depressing, but he made it in the end. Now Mr. White is back and intends to write a book about his adventures.

1.When Phil White returned from his trip, he________.

A. broke the world record B. collected money for Oxfam

C. destroyed several bikes D. travelled about 1 300 hours

2.What does the word "epic" in Paragraph l most probably mean?

A. Very slow but exciting. B. Very long and difficult.

C. Very smooth but tiring. D. Very lonely and depressing.

3.During his journey around the world, Phil White _______.

A. fought heroically against robbers in Iran

B. experienced the extremes of heat and cold

C. managed to ride against the wind in Australia

D. had a team of people who travelled with him

4.Which of the following words can best describe Phil White?

A. Imaginative. B. Independent.

C. Modest. D. Determined.

Traveling without a map in different countries,I find out about different “styles” of directions every time I ask “How can I get to the post office?”

Foreign tourists are often confused in Japan because most streets there don’t have name signs:in Japan,people use landmarks in their directions instead of street names.For example,the Japanese will say to travelers,“Go straight down to the corner.Turn left at the big hotel and go past a fruit market.The post office is across from the bus stop.”

People in Los Angeles,the US,have no idea of distance on the map:they measure distance by time,not miles.“How far away is the post office?” you ask.“Oh,” they answer,“it’s about five minutes from here.” You don’t understand completely,“Yes,but how many miles away is it,please?” To this question you won’t get an answer,because most probably they don’t know it themselves.

People in Greece sometimes do not even try to give directions because tourists seldom understand the Greek language.Instead,a Greek will often say,“ Follow me.” Then he’ll lead you through the streets of the city to the post office.

Sometimes a person doesn’t know the answer to your question.What happens in the situation? A New Yorker might say,“Sorry, I have no idea.”But in Yucatan,Mexico,no one answers “I don’t know.” People there believe that “I don’t” is impolite.They usually give an answer,but often a wrong one.So a tourist can get lost very easily in Yucatan!

However,one thing will help you everywhere in the world.It’s body language.

1.Which of the following is probably an example of Japanese directions?

A.“Go south two miles.Turn west and then go another mile.”

B.“Turn right at the hospital and go past a school.”

C.“The post office is about five minutes from here.”

D.“The post office is at Street Kamira.”

2.Why don’t people in Los Angeles give directions in miles?

A.They use landmarks in their directions instead of distance.

B.They prefer to lead you the way.

C.They often have no idea of distance measured by miles.

D.They prefer to use body language.

3.How do Greeks give directions?

A.Using street names

B.Using landmarks

C.Leading people the way

D.Giving people a wrong direction

4.Where is Yucatan?

A.In the USA B.In Japan C.In Greece D.In Mexico

In cities with rent control, the city government sets the maximum rent that a landlord (房东) can charge for an apartment. Supporters of rent control argue that it protects people who are living in apartment. Their rent cannot increase; therefore, they are not in danger of losing their homes. However, the critics say that after a long time, rent control may have negative effects. Landlords know that they cannot increase their profits. Therefore, they invest in other businesses where they can increase their profits. They do not invest in new buildings which would also be rent-controlled. As a result, new apartments are not built. Many people who need apartments cannot find any. According to the critics, the end result of rent control is a shortage of apartments in the city.

Some experts argue that the minimum wage law can cause problems in the same way. The federal government sets the minimum that an employer must pay workers. The minimum helps people who generally look for unskilled, low-paying jobs. However, if the minimum is high, employers may hire fewer workers. They will replace workers with machinery. Therefore, other things being equal, the number of workers that employers want decreases. Thus, critics hold the opinion that an increase in the minimum wage may cause unemployment. Some poor people may find themselves without jobs instead of with jobs at the minimum wage.

Supporters of the minimum wage say that it helps people keep their dignity. Because of the law, workers cannot sell their services for less than the minimum. Furthermore, employers cannot force workers to accept jobs at unfair wages.

Economic theory predicts the results of economic decision, such as decisions about farm production, rent control, and the minimum wage. The predictions may be corrected only if “other things are equal”. Economists do not agree on some of the predictions. They also do not agree on the value of different decisions. Some economists support a particular decision while others criticize it. Economists do agree, however, that there are no simple answers to economic questions.

1.There is the possibility that setting maximum rent may ________.

A. cause a shortage of apartments

B. worry those who rent apartments as homes.

C. increase the profits of landlords.

D. encourage landlords to invest in building apartments.

2.We can safely say that rent control ________.

A. will always benefit those who rent apartments.

B. is unnecessary.

C. will probably bring inactive effects in the long run.

D. is necessary under all conditions

3.There will be the problem of unemployment if ________.

A. the minimum wage is set too high..

B. the minimum wage is set too early.

C. the workers are unskilled.

D. the maximum wage is set for poor workers.

4.The passage tells us about ________.

A. the relationship between supply and demand.

B. the possible results of government controls.

C. the necessity of government control.

D. the urgency of getting rid of government control.

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