Our plan was to drive into Cambridge, catch the 7:34 train to Liverpool Street Station, then to separate and meet again for lunch. We should have arrived at Liverpool at 9:19, but due to a typical London fog, the train had to move along so slowly that it was not until 10:30 that it got there. In spite of our late arrival, Joan, my wife’s sister, decided that she would go to see the Crown Jewels in the Tower of London while we went shopping. It was only after her sister had disappeared into the fog that my wife realized that we hadn’t decided where we should meet for lunch. Since I had our three tickets for the concert in my pocket, this was indeed a problem. There seemed to be nothing we could do except taking a taxi to the Tower of London, and try to find her there. Needless to say, we didn’t find her.
It was now one o’clock, and the concert began at 2:30. “Perhaps she will think of waiting outside the concert hall,” suggested my wife hopefully. By this time the fog was so thick that road traffic had to stop, and the only way to get there was by underground railway. Hand in hand we felt our way along the road to where we thought the nearest station should be. An hour later we were still trying to find it. Just as I was about to lose my temper completely when we met a blind man tapping his way confidently through the fog. With his help we found Tower Hill tube station just fifty yards down the road.
By now it was far too late even to try to get to the concert hall before the performance began at 2:30, so we decided to return to Cambridge. It took seven long hours instead of the usual two to make that journey. Nor were we able to get any food and drink on the train. Tired and hungry we finally reached home at ten, opening the door to the sound of the telephone bell. It was Joan; she had seen the Crown Jewels, had managed to get another ticket for concert, and had had a wonderful dinner at a restaurant near the hotel where she decided to stay for the night. Now she was ringing to discover whether we had had an equally successful day.

  1. 1.

    Why was Joan separated from her sister and her brother-in-law?

    1. A.
      they could not see each other because of the fog.
    2. B.
      Joan had not seen Crown Jewels.
    3. C.
      They planned to do different things until lunch time.
    4. D.
      The writer didn’t want to go to the concert.
  2. 2.

    What did the writer plan to do in the afternoon?

    1. A.
      Go to the concert.
    2. B.
      See the Crown Jewels.
    3. C.
      Return to Cambridge.
    4. D.
      Go shopping.
  3. 3.

    The reason why they didn’t all meet for lunch was that _______.

    1. A.
      They lost their way in the fog
    2. B.
      they forgot to make necessary arrangement
    3. C.
      they waited at different places and didn’t meet each other
    4. D.
      the couple couldn’t find the underground station
  4. 4.

    It’s quite clear that for Joan the trip to London had been ________.

    1. A.
      spilt by the fog
    2. B.
      quite tiring
    3. C.
      rather disappointing
    4. D.
      very enjoyable

 We can make mistakes at any age. Some mistakes we make are about money, but most mistakes are about people. “Did Jerry really care when I broke up with Helen?” “When I got that great job, did Jim, as a friend, really feel good about it? Or did he envy my luck?” “And was Paul friendly just because I had a car?” When we look back, doubts like these can make us feel bad.
But when we look back, it is too late.
Why do we go wrong about our friends, or our enemies? Sometimes what people say hides their real meanings. And if we do not really listen, we miss the feeling behind the words. Suppose someone tells you, “You're a lucky dog!”(你真幸运!) Is he really on your side? If he says, “You're a lucky guy(人,家伙)!”,that is being friendly. But “a lucky dog”, there is a bit of envy in those words. What he may be saying is that he does not think you deserve your luck.
“Just think of all the things you have to be thankful for” is another phrase that says one thing means another. It could mean that the speaker is trying to get you to see your problem. But this phrase contains the thought that your problem is not at all important.
How can you tell the real meaning behind someone's words? One way is to take a good look at the person talking. Do his words fit the way he looks? Is what he says shown by the tone of voice? The look in his eyes? Stop and think. The minute you spend thinking about the real meaning of what people say to you may save your another mistake.

  1. 1.

    When the writer recalls(回想) some of the things that happened between him and his friends, he _______.

    1. A.
      feels happy, thinking how nice his friends were to him
    2. B.
      feels he might not have understood his friends' true feelings
    3. C.
      think it a mistake to have broken up with his girl friend
    4. D.
      is sorry that his friends let him down
  2. 2.

    When the writer talks about someone saying, “You're a lucky dog!”, he is saying that _______.

    1. A.
      the speaker is just friendly
    2. B.
      this sentence suggests the same as “You're a lucky guy!”
    3. C.
      the word “dog” should not be used to apply to people
    4. D.
      sometimes the words show that the speaker is a bit envious
  3. 3.

    This passage tries to tell you how to _______.

    1. A.
      avoid(避免) mistakes about money and friends
    2. B.
      get an idea of friendly people
    3. C.
      avoid mistakes in understanding what people tell you
    4. D.
      keep people friendly without trusting them

What do you want to be when you grow up? A teacher? A doctor? How about an ice-cream taster?
Yes, there really is a job where you can get paid to taste ice cream. Just ask John Harrison an “Official Taste Tester” for the past 21 years. Testing helps manufacturers (制造商) to be sure of a product’s quality. During his career Harrison has been responsible for approving large quantities of the sweet ice cream—as well as for developing over 75 flavors (口味).
Some people think that it would be easy to do this job; after all, you just have to like ice cream, right? No—there’s more to the job than that, says Harrison, who has a degree in chemistry. He points out that a dairy or food-science degree would be very useful to someone wanting a career in this “cool” field.
In a typical morning on the job, Harrison tastes and assesses 60 ice cream samples. He lets the ice cream warm up to about 12℉. Harrison explains: “You get more flavor from warmer ice cream, which is why some kids like to stir (搅拌) it, creating ice-cream soup.”
While the ice cream warms up, Harrison looks over the samples and grades each one its appearance. “Tasting begins with the eyes,” he explains. He checks to see if the ice cream is attractive and asks himself, “Dose the product have the color expected from that flavor?” Next it’s time to taste!
Continuing to think up new ideas, try out new flavors, and test samples from so many kinds of ice cream each day keeps Harrison busy but happy---working at one cool job

  1. 1.

    What is John Harrison’s job?

    1. A.
      An official
    2. B.
      An ice-cream taster
    3. C.
      A chemist
    4. D.
      An ice-cream manufacturer
  2. 2.

    According to John Harrison, to be qualified(合格的) in the “cool field”, it is helpful to ________

    1. A.
      keep a diary of work
    2. B.
      have a degree in related subjects
    3. C.
      have new ideas every day
    4. D.
      find out new flavor each day
  3. 3.

    What does Harrison do first when testing ice cream?

    1. A.
      He stirs the ice cream
    2. B.
      He examines the color of the ice cream
    3. C.
      He tastes the flavor of the ice cream
    4. D.
      He lets the ice cream warm up
  4. 4.

    Which of the following is probably the best title of the passage?

    1. A.
      Tasting with Eyes
    2. B.
      Flavors of Ice Cream
    3. C.
      John Harrison’s Life
    4. D.
      One Cool Job

Every pet owner loves his pet. There is no argument here.
  But when we asked our readers whether they would clone (克隆, 复制)their beloved animals, the responses(反应) were split almost down the middle. Of the 228 readers who answered it, 108 would clone, 111 would not and nine weighed each side without offering an opinion.
  Clearly, from readers’ response, this is an issue that reaches deeply into both the joy and final sadness of owning a pet. It speaks, as well, to people’s widely differing expectations over the developing scientific procedure.
  Most of the respondents who favored the idea strongly believed it would produce at least a close copy of the original; many felt the process would actually return an exact copy. Those on the other side, however, held little hope a clone could never truly recreate a pet, many simply didn’t wish to go against the natural law of life and death.
  Both sides expressed equal love for their animals. More than a few respondents owned “the best dog/cat in the world”. They thought of their pets as their “best friend”, “a member of the family,”“the light of my life.” They told moving stories of pets’ heroism, intelligence and selfless devotion.
  Then the loss is so disturbing---and the cloning so attractive. “People become very close to their animals, and the loss can be just as hard to bear as when a friend or family member dies,” says Gary Kowalski, author of Goodbye, Friend: Healing Wisdom for Anyone Who Has Ever Lost a Pet. “For me, cloning feels like an attempt to turn death away…It’s understandable. Death is always painful. It’s difficult to deal with. It’s hard to accept.”
  But would cloning reduce the blow? This question seemed to be at the heart of this problem

  1. 1.

    So far as the cloning of pets is concerned, a recent survey shows that, of all pet owners, ______.

    1. A.
      a lot more of them are for it
    2. B.
      a lot more of them are against it
    3. C.
      very few of them are willing to tell their opinions
    4. D.
      about half of them are for it and the other half against it
  2. 2.

    While talking about the respondents from the readers, the expression “final sadness of owning a pet” refers to ______.

    1. A.
      the death of one’s pet
    2. B.
      the high cost of owning a pet
    3. C.
      the troubles one has to deal with in keeping a pet
    4. D.
      the dangers about the cloning of a pet
  3. 3.

    From what Gary Kowalski says, we can know that he ______.

    1. A.
      has never thought about the problem of cloning
    2. B.
      is going to write another book on pets
    3. C.
      is in favor of the idea of cloning pets
    4. D.
      is all against the cloning of pets
  4. 4.

    What is the key question at the heart of the problem of cloning pets?

    1. A.
      Can cloning make the pain one suffers less when a pet dies?
    2. B.
      Can pet owners afford the cost of cloning?
    3. C.
      Does cloning go against the law of nature?
    4. D.
      How reliably does cloning produce an exact copy of one’s pet?

One kilogram——that was all it took to crown(给……加冕) the world's strongest man.
German weightlifter Matthias Steiner pulled ahead of Russian rival Evgeny Chigishev to win the Olympic men's +105 kg weightlifting gold medal on Tuesday.
Steiner lifted a total of 461kg, 203kg in the snatch(抓举) and 258kg in the clean and jerk(挺举), to beat Chigishev by a single kilogram. The German won the battle of giants in his last lift, winning his country's first gold medal in the event at this year's Games.
Steiner's winning lift was also the last effort of the sport for this Olympics at which China earned eight of the 15 golds.
Steiner was born in Austria and represented his country of birth at the Athens Olympics four years ago, placing seventh in the lower 105kg category, but had a falling out with Austria's weightlifting federation afterwards.
He applied for German citizenship in 2005 and got married, but his career went into deep freeze(困境)as he could not compete without a passport. He finally obtained the document last January.
The German, who turns 26 on Monday, had come to these Games on a mission to win the title for his wife Susann, who died in a car accident in July last year. The German team said he used the personal tragedy to motivate himself to win the gold medal.
Chigishev was the strongest in the snatch session Tuesday. He kissed his fists after a 210-kg lift that gave him a 7-kg advantage over fourth-placed Steiner going into the second event -- the clean and jerk. He let out a victorious roar after clearing 250 kg in his last lift, but the glory was short-lived as Steiner stunned(使瞠目)everyone with his final, winning clean and jerk effort.
Steiner had finished seventh in the 2004 Olympics in the 105kg weight category, and took the gold in the 2008 European Championship +105kg snatch competition, bronze in the clean and jerk and silver overall, with a total weight of 446kg.
World champion Viktors Scerbatihs of Latvia settled for bronze.

  1. 1.

    Four years ago at the Athens Olympics Steiner represented ______.

    1. A.
      Australia
    2. B.
      Germany
    3. C.
      Austria
    4. D.
      Russia
  2. 2.

    The following statements are true except ______.

    1. A.
      Steiner beat Chigishev by one kilogram
    2. B.
      Chinese weightlifting team won eight of the 15 gold medals at this year’s Games
    3. C.
      Steiner didn’t get the passport until last February
    4. D.
      Steiner got a bronze in the 2008 European Championship +105kg clean and jerk competition
  3. 3.

    It can be inferred from the story that _____.

    1. A.
      Steiner was inspired by his unfortunate wife to win the gold medal
    2. B.
      Chigishev was also the strongest in the second event
    3. C.
      it is hard to get a German citizenship
    4. D.
      Steiner was determined to win the medal for the German team
  4. 4.

    What is the best title of the story?

    1. A.
      Narrow Victory
    2. B.
      Pitiful Failure
    3. C.
      Gold Medal for His Dearest Wife
    4. D.
      Strongest Man of the World

On May 29, 1973, Thomas Bradley, a black man, was elected mayor of Los Angeles. Los Angeles is the third largest city in the United States, with a population of three million. About sixteen percent of the city’s population are black.
News of this election appeared on the front pages of newspapers everywhere in the United States. Here is how one major newspaper reported the event:
LOS ANGELES ELECTS BRADLEY MAYOR UNSEATING YORTYBLACK WINS 56% OF VOTES
Bradley called his victory over Yorty “the fulfillment (实现) of a dream”. During his childhood and youth, people had kept telling him, “You can’t do this, you can’t go there, because you are a Negro.” Nevertheless he had won a decisive victory over a man who had been won 43.7 percent.
Los Angeles voters have had many opportunities to judge. Thomas Bradley had to form an opinion of him. The son of a poor farmer Texas, he joined the Los Angeles police force in 1940. During his twenty-one years on the police force he earned a law degree by attending school at night. He was elected to the city council (市政厅) ten years ago.
At the time of the Los Angeles election, three other American cities already had black mayors, but none of those cities had as large a population as Los Angeles. Besides, the percentage of blacks in those other cities was much larger. Cleveland, Ohio, had thirty-six percent black when Carl Stokes was elected mayor of Cleveland in 1967. In the same year Richard Hatcher was elected mayor of Cary. In Newark, New Jersey, sixty percent of the population were black when Kenneth Gibson was elected in 1970. Thus election of a black mayor in those cities was not very surprising.
In Los Angeles thousands of white citizens voted for Thomas Bradley because they believed he would be a better mayor than the white candidate(候选人). Bradley had spent forty-eight of his fifty-five years in Los Angeles. Four years ago Bradley lost mayoral election to Yorty. This time Bradley won.

  1. 1.

    In the author’s opinion, it was surprising that _______.

    1. A.
      the whites would vote for a black mayor
    2. B.
      a black mayor would be elected in such a large city
    3. C.
      a black from a poor farmer’s family could be elected mayor of Los Angeles
    4. D.
      there would be so many black mayors
  2. 2.

    From the passage we can infer that people ________.

    1. A.
      voted for Bradley because of his black color
    2. B.
      didn’t care much about his color when they voted
    3. C.
      voted for him to give a chance to fulfill his dream
    4. D.
      voted for Bradley because they trust him
  3. 3.

    Bradley hit the front page headline for _______.

    1. A.
      he was the first black mayor in history
    2. B.
      he was the first black mayor in the south of USA
    3. C.
      he was the first black mayor of one of the largest cities in USA
    4. D.
      a poor farmer’s son could also win an important election
  4. 4.

    From Bradley’s victory in the election we can see that ________.

    1. A.
      blacks had equal rights as whites in the USA
    2. B.
      black people’s situation began to be improving much more than before
    3. C.
      one can be successful through hard work in the USA no matter what color he is
    4. D.
      it is certain that someday the USA will have a black president

Several times my daughter had telephoned to say, “Mum, you must come and see the daffodils (水仙花)before they are over.” I wanted to go, but it was a two-hour drive from Lake Arrowhead. “I will go next Tuesday,” I promised, a little unwillingly, on her third call.
The next Tuesday dawned cold and rainy. Still, I had promised, and so I drove there. When I finally walked into Carolyn’s house and hugged and greeted my grandchildren, I said, “Forget the daffodils, Carolyn! The road is invisible (看不见的)in the cloud and fog, and there is nothing in the world except you and these children that I want to see!”
My daughter smiled calmly and said, “We drive in this weather all the time, Mum. You will never forgive yourself if you miss this experience.”
After about twenty minutes, we turned onto a small road and I saw a small church. On the far side of the church, I saw a hand-lettered sign that read “Daffodil Garden”.
We got out of the car and each took a child’s hand, and I followed Carolyn down the path. Then, we turned a corner of the path, and I looked up and gasped. Before me lay the most beautiful sight! There were five acres of flowers! “But who has done this?” I asked Carolyn. “It’s just one woman,” Carolyn answered. “That’s her home,” Carolyn pointed to a well-kept A-frame house that looked small and modest in the midst of all that glory. We walked up to the house. On the patio (庭院), we saw a poster. “Answers to the Questions I Know You Are Asking” was the headline.
The first answer was a simple one. “50,000 bulbs (鳞茎),” it read. The second answer was, “One at a time, by one woman.” The third answer was, “Began in 1958.”
I thought of this woman whom I had never met, who, more than fifty years before, had begun -- one bulb at a time -- to bring the beauty and joy to the mountain top.

  1. 1.

    The author didn’t go to see the daffodils at first because _________.

    1. A.
      she was not interested in them
    2. B.
      they were growing on the mountain top
    3. C.
      the weather was not good enough
    4. D.
      it was not easy for her to drive there
  2. 2.

    What do we know about the woman living in the A-frame house?

    1. A.
      She must be out of mind.
    2. B.
      She acted as a gardener there.
    3. C.
      It took her great determination to grow the daffodils.
    4. D.
      She was poor and made her living by selling daffodils.
  3. 3.

    What could the author probably learn from this experience?

    1. A.
      Nothing is too difficult if you put your heart into it.
    2. B.
      We must put the interests of others above our own.
    3. C.
      We can change the world by growing flowers.
    4. D.
      It’s never too late to learn.
  4. 4.

    What would be the best title for the passage?

    1. A.
      An Unforgettable Experience.
    2. B.
      Beautiful Daffodils.
    3. C.
      One Bulb at a Time.
    4. D.
      I Love Daffodils.

Today is my first day at Merchiston Castle School,and I was really nervous about it, because I have never visited the school before and didn’t take any summer course. Despite my anxiety,I soon relaxed once I arrived; the staff were so nice that I felt my spoken English was better than it actually was! As soon as I walked into the dayroom of my boarding house,I was absolutely(完全地) amazed by the friendly atmosphere; everyone was so friendly that a boy as shy as I had no difficulty in setting in,and I made many new friends on my very first day,although I was struggling to remember all the names.
Also I realized there were other international students in the house from all over the world,such as South Korea,Japan and Russia.Although their English was not so fluent,it didn’t take long for us to understand each other at all.In some ways,it was even better to practice Enlgish by speaking to the international students,because we were both learning.
As a boarder,the quality of food is something I consider very important,and Merchiston has not let me down.The school kitchens are run by a professional catering company,and the quality of food is excellent,also they take the issue of a healthy diet really seriously.I remember once I was asked to take more salad for my meal by a member of the kitchen staff for I did not have enough vegetables.This brings to another point of being a boarder:you need to learn how to look after yourself and be responsible for yourself.One of the huge advantages of being a boarder is that we can have breakfast in the school,which means we don’t have to pull ourselves out of the bed as early as the daypupils!

  1. 1.

    Why was the writer nervous when he was at Merchiston Castle School on the first day?

    1. A.
      Because he had no friends and relatives there.
    2. B.
      Because he didn’t know the school well.
    3. C.
      Because he was not good at English.
    4. D.
      Because he was shy.
  2. 2.

    On the first day,        .

    1. A.
      though the writer was anxious,he soon relaxed
    2. B.
      he found the dayroom of his boarding house terrible
    3. C.
      he made many new friends,but he didn’t remember any of their names
    4. D.
      he thought he spoke English better than the staff in the school
  3. 3.

    Which of the following is WRONG according to the passage?

    1. A.
      In the boarding house,there are only students from South Korea,Japan and Russia.
    2. B.
      The international students in the boarding house don’t speak Englsih very fluently.
    3. C.
      The food in Merchiston doesn’t make the writer disappiointed.
    4. D.
      The professional catering company thinks the issue of a healthy diet is very important.
  4. 4.

    The underlined word“boarder”in the first paragraph means“      ”.

    1. A.
      a student who is from abroad
    2. B.
      a student who lives at school
    3. C.
      a student who is good at English
    4. D.
      a student who used to be shy

Laughter Yoga (瑜伽) is a unique technique invented by Dr Kataria, a doctor from India, by which you can learn to “Laugh for No Reason”. You don’t even need a sense of humor, no funny jokes or comedy programs — just a willingness to laugh — and in the present climate everyone needs to laugh more.
Laughter Yoga is a combination of Laughter Exercises and Yogic Breathing, so that you increase the amount of oxygen in your body while being playful, resulting in you feeling healthier, energetic and alive. This actually changes the physical conditions of your body so that you start to feel happier.
Laughter Yoga is generally done in groups although it can be practiced alone. When you make eye contact with someone and you’re both willing to laugh, the laughter is increased. However, we do say that you can “Fake (假装) it, fake it till you make it” because the body doesn’t know the difference between fake and true laughter; as long as you’re willing to laugh you’ll experience the same health benefits.
Laughter Yoga started in a park in Mumbai in 1995 with just 5 participants, and now there’re over 6,000 laughter clubs in 60 different countries — showing the willingness of the world to laugh together.
In the UK, Julie was one of the first people to train as a Laughter Leader with Dr Kataria in June 2002. In 2006 she was awarded Laughter Ambassador for her selfless service to promote Laughter Yoga.
“Yoga has been part of my life for 30 years but 7 years ago my life changed when I discovered Laughter Yoga. I believe laughter and yoga are both good for your health,” says Julie.

  1. 1.

    Why do people practicing Laughter Yoga laugh a lot?

    1. A.
      They have a sense of humor.
    2. B.
      They are amused by jokes.
    3. C.
      They are willing to laugh.
    4. D.
      They can’t help laughing a lot.
  2. 2.

    What do we know about Julie from the passage?

    1. A.
      She took up Laughter Yoga 30 years ago.
    2. B.
      She helped make Laughter Yoga more popular.
    3. C.
      She used to suffer from serious physical problems.
    4. D.
      She was the first person to practise Laughter Yoga.
  3. 3.

    The purpose of the passage is to _____.

    1. A.
      persuade people to take up Laughter Yoga
    2. B.
      tell people how to practise Laughter Yoga
    3. C.
      describe the good effects of Laughter Yoga
    4. D.
      introduce Laughter Yoga as a new event

Life gets noisier every day and very few people can be free from noise of some sort or another. It doesn’t matter where you live—in the middle of a modern city, or a faraway village—the chances that you will be disturbed by jet aero planes, transistor radios, oil-powered engines, etc. are almost everywhere.We seem to be getting used to noise, too. Some people feel quite lonely without background music while they are working.
Scientific tests have shown that total silence can be very frightening experience for human beings. However, some people enjoy listening to pop music which is very loud, and this can do harm to their eardrums(耳鼓).The noise level in some disco is far above the usual safety level for heavy industrial areas.
One recent report about noise and concentration(专心) suggested that although a lot of people say that any noise disturbs their concentration, what really affects their ability to concentrate is a change in the level of noise. It goes on to say that a background noise, which doesn’t change too much (music, for example) may even help people to concentrate.

  1. 1.

    The best title for this passage is __________.

    1. A.
      Noisy Life
    2. B.
      Background Noise
    3. C.
      Disturbed Concentration
    4. D.
      Changeable Noise
  2. 2.

    From this passage, the pollution of noise __________.

    1. A.
      doesn’t matter much
    2. B.
      has become worse everywhere
    3. C.
      has become better in big cities
    4. D.
      has become better in villages
  3. 3.

    “Background music” in the passage means __________.

    1. A.
      music played in the concert
    2. B.
      a kind of noise coming into your ears
    3. C.
      music helps people to concentrate
    4. D.
      music played while people are working
  4. 4.

    Some people may have their hearing hurt __________.

    1. A.
      while they are in completely silence
    2. B.
      while they are dancing violently
    3. C.
      while they are listening to pop music
    4. D.
      while they are listening to soft music
  5. 5.

    Scientists have discovered that what prevents people from concentrating is ______.

    1. A.
      any kind of noise
    2. B.
      great changes in level of noise
    3. C.
      background noise
    4. D.
      various background music
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