—So you haven’t been to France?

—_____. How I wish to go there for a holiday!

A．Yes, I have         B．Yes, I haven’t      C．No, I have         D．No, I haven’t

U.S. Bottled Water Sales Are Booming Again Despite Opposition

Despite organized anti-bottled-water campaigns across the country and a noisy debate about bottled water’s environmental impact, Americans are buying more bottled water than ever.

Why do so many people seem to think they should have any input on what other American’s choose to buy or do?

If they want to buy bottled water, let them.

If they want to eat fast food, let them.

If they want to smoke pot, let them.

— Barackalypse

People just get tired of paying for others’ bad behavior. If many people eat excessive fast food, you pay higher insurance premiums. If many people frequently buy bottled water, your trash bills go up and landfills fill up quickly.www.zxxk.com

It’s about personal responsibility, which really should be a cornerstone of libertarianism.

                                                                            — Bdbr

So? This is the price you pay to live in a free society. You want to control the life of another just so you can save a few bucks? What would you say when someone do the same to you?

                                                                                                                         — Norman619

Defend selfish pricks all you like; I’m just glad there are still people who still believe personal responsibility is a good and decent thing. We make your life cheaper and less bothersome.

                                                                                 — Yoyo

What a waste of money! It’s fine when you’re on the road and you need a cold drink, but people who buy cases of bottled water for home are completely crazy.

                                                                          — Agmlauncher

I wish we all can find a way to improve things and benefit from this. The environment needs a lot of help but businesses will always work on what people would need and demand. Is this part of the balance? Hope we can find better ways.

— Skipweis

1.What can we know about bottled water in America?

A. Americans are consuming more bottled water than tap.

B. US bottled water sales have increased for the first time.

C. Activists in several regions have been fighting against it.

D. Some people worry about its bad effect on the environment.

2.Who would agree with Barackalypse on this matter?

A. Bdbr.             B. Norman619.           C. Yoyo.                        D. Agmlauncher.

3.According to the text, Agmlauncher is _____ bottled water.

A. partly supportive of                                   B. extremely against

C. strongly in favor of                                     D. not concerned about

4.Which of the following statements goes with Skipweis’ opinion?

A. The environment is emphasized too much.

B. It’s impossible for people to find a better way.

C. Business is not totally responsible for the problem.

D. At present we can’t benefit from bottled water at all. 

While my father was an officer of the British army in South Africa, we lived in a ___1___ house. One ___2___ my father and sister and  I were sitting together. He was ___3___ the window. I suddenly ___4___ that he was turning very pale. I sat ___5___, for I did not want to __6__ my sick sister. Soon father said in a ___7___ voice, “Kate and Joan, a friend of mine is ___8___ here to see me this evening, and I wish to be ___9___ him. Will you go up to your own room?” We ___10___, went to our room and closed the door.

Soon I heard a ___11___ like that of a door burst in, and then a climb of feet. They were hurrying ___12___ the narrow stairs. Fearing that there was ___13___ near, I seized the pistol(手枪) on the table. Then I heard my father cry out, "For God’s sake(快!), child, ___14___ the door. " I did so. To my horror(恐怖), I saw, ___15___ my father’s shoulder, a gorilla(大猩猩), the worst enemy of the soldier in ___16___. He was ___17___ my father. I raised the pistol and fired. The animal fell backwards with ___18___ loud cry. Father took the ___19___ smoking pistol from my hand, and fired another shot, which ___20___ the gorilla.

It happened that father had ___21___ us upstairs because he thought he would be able to ___22___ the door ––– which was twenty feet away –––___23___ the animal reached it. However, the gorilla was too ___24___ for him; and this was the cause of the ___25___ flight(逃跑) up the stairs.

1. A. two-storeyed  B. two storeyed      C. two-storeys D. two storeys

2. A. o’clock  B. night   C. evening      D. time

3. A. towards  B. opposite     C. inside  D. behind

4. A. knew     B. learned       C. felt     D. noticed

5. A. still B. lonely C. sadly   D. unhappily

6. A. hurt       B. frighten      C. lose    D. trouble

7. A. loud       B. sad     C. calm   D. pleasant

8. A. moving  B. staying       C. running      D. coming

9. A. friendly to     B. alone with  C. helpful to   D. careful with

10. A. promised     B. trembled    C. obeyed       D. replied

11. A. sound   B. cry     C. voice  D. shout

12. A. to B. down  C. through      D. up

13. A. some difficulty    B. a thief C. some danger      D. an accident

14. A. open    B. close   C. pull    D. draw

15. A. on B. above  C. over    D. from

16. A. South America    B. Africa C. South Asia  D. Europe

17. A. aiming at     B. marching towards C. shooting at      D. running after

18. A. an exciting   B. a calm C. an angry     D. a natural

19. A. still      B. yet      C. even   D. already

20. A. hit       B. murdered   C. frightened  D. killed

21. A. taken    B. sent    C. driven D. forced

22. A. push     B. lock    C. guard  D. defend

23. A. until     B. when  C. before D. though

24. A. quick   B. huge   C. heavy  D. stupid

25. A. anxious       B. fearless      C. excited       D. hurried

A. Arguments are pointless.

B. Your parents only want what's best for you.

C. Everyone's opinion matters only as much as you want them to.

D. You learn by doing.

E. Your emotions are under your control.

F. You aren't stuck in any situation

Life is the greatest teacher

There always comes a moment when I wonder where I will end up and this moment always serves as a strong motivation for me to learn life lesson. I've learned a great many things, but these are the lessons that I wish I'd learned earlier:

1._________

There was a time when everyone's opinion was mine as well. Whatever preferences I formerly held were dashed in the face of another's. This most likely came from a need to please others. Remember that your opinion matters just as much as the next guy's, whether they make more money than you or are less popular than you. Everyone's opinion holds the same weight.

2._________

Drama, chaos, and emotional unrest — these were what took up most of my time as a teenager. If I had heard someone said bad things behind my back, I'd be angry. Go crazy. Looking back on those tantrums now, I'm not too surprised. After all, when you have little self control, anything is possible. The lesson here is, remain aware of how you react.

3._________

Will one small argument among friends decide the fate of the entire universe? In my world it felt like it. I just wanted so much to be right and for them so much to be wrong. But in the end, it only resulted in me wasting my time and in the other person storming off in frustration. Is there really a point to arguing? Unless it's absolutely necessary, I've learned that it's better to hold your breath on things you can't control at all. Arguing to change someone's mind is one of them.

4._________

I'm not saying every parent wants what's best for you (there are outliers), but in general, parents do what they do for you in your best interest. My parents used to make me do the dishes, cook dinner, sweep the floors, mow the lawn, take out the garbage… the list goes on and on. And at every turn, I'd whine and complain. I'd eventually end up doing it. Now, I honestly see the value in having learned those skills. I can efficiently cook and clean up after myself.

5._________

Whenever I’d lose a friend, get an awful grade, or disappoint my parents, I stewed in my own muck. Waiting for the bad moments to go away seemed to be the only solution. Fortunately, I know now that you don’t have to be stuck in bad situations. You can go out and create better ones. It all depends on perspective; on how you see the situation. Viewing everything as a learning experience makes life more pleasurable, even during the hard times. You aren't stuck. You can move on.

I'm glad to have learned these lessons the way I did. Each experience helped shape me to become a better person. I don't know if any young people are reading this, but if they are, I'd like to say this: “Listen to life and its experiences. Everyone goes through mostly the same things.”

A young woman carrying a three-year-old child got on a bus. The conductor （售票员）hurried to give her a warm welcome and then kindly asked the other passengers to make more room for the woman and her child. On seeing this, people began to talk. "You know this conductor used to be very rude. Now suddenly he has changed his bad behavior（行为） , "said a middle-aged man.

"Yes, he should be praised and we must write a letter to the company," said a second passenger. "That's right," another lady said, "I wish a newspaper reporter were here so that more people could learn from this conductor. "

Just then a gentleman who looked like a teacher turned to the conductor and said , "Excuse me, but can I know your name, please? Your excellent service must be praised..."

Before he could open his mouth, the three-year-old child sitting on the young woman's lap（大腿） interrupted, "I know his name. I call him Dad."

1.The passengers were ________ to see the conductor's kindness to the woman and the child.

A．excited           B．pleased           C．interested         D．surprised

2.One passenger suggested writing a letter to the com­pany to ______  .

A．make a demand for more buses

B．thank the conductor for his good service

C．criticize the conductor for his rude behavior

D．invite a newspaper reporter to write about the conductor

3.The word "he" in the last paragraph refers to _______.

A．the gentleman                         B．the conductor

C．the middle-aged man                    D．the three-year-old child

4.It is clear from the story that the conductor _______.

A．has changed his attitude towards his work

B．has now been kind and polite to all passengers

C．has not changed his rude behavior to passen­gers

D．has now been kind and polite to women with children