Fans of the British royal family around the world are making plans for April 29th, 2011. That’s the date that Prince William and Catherine Middleton are to tie the knot at Westminster Abbey in London.
A royal wedding is a rare and unique event in Britain so for many it’s something worth celebrating, particularly if you are in the business of making memorabilia (收藏品).
Producers of these souvenirs are wasting no time in manufacturing key rings, mugs, teapots and tea towels, mostly with the faces of the happy couple emblazoned on the front. These are the must buy items that royal followers want to get their hands on.
Some people may argue the royal wedding is a huge public cost but production and sale of memorabilia is good for business. Former politician, Lord Archer, has commented that, “In this age when we are trying to balance the books, the royal family are a great benefit to Great Britain Limited.”
A porcelain-making company, called Royal Crown Derby, is already manufacturing souvenir pottery. Louise Adams from the company says “we started designing, truly, about two years ago.” It is big business for China too, where much of the merchandise that marks the big event is made.
But why are people so keen to get their hands on a commemorative mug, so much so that one British supermarket has already seen them flying off the shelves?
Obviously, we like to remember an event like this and maybe it makes us feel as though we are part of the occasion. However their monetary value is likely to be low. Eric Knowles from the BBC’s Antiques Roadshow claims, “The vast majority of it will be worthless.”
Modern day souvenirs tend to be mass-produced making them cheap and easy to find. However limited edition or high-end items tend to keep their value and could be a better investment for the future.
But there is one thing we can guarantee that won’t be mass-produced and cheap. That’s the wedding dress for Princess Catherine, as Catherine Middleton will be known.
(   ) 【小题1】. From the first three paragraphs we can learn that         .

Fans of the British royal family around the world are making plans for April 29th, 2011. That’s the date that Prince William and Catherine Middleton are to tie the knot at Westminster Abbey in London.
A royal wedding is a rare and unique event in Britain so for many it’s something worth celebrating, particularly if you are in the business of making memorabilia (收藏品).
Producers of these souvenirs are wasting no time in manufacturing key rings, mugs, teapots and tea towels, mostly with the faces of the happy couple emblazoned on the front. These are the must buy items that royal followers want to get their hands on.
Some people may argue the royal wedding is a huge public cost but production and sale of memorabilia is good for business. Former politician, Lord Archer, has commented that, “In this age when we are trying to balance the books, the royal family are a great benefit to Great Britain Limited.”
A porcelain-making company, called Royal Crown Derby, is already manufacturing souvenir pottery. Louise Adams from the company says “we started designing, truly, about two years ago.” It is big business for China too, where much of the merchandise that marks the big event is made.
But why are people so keen to get their hands on a commemorative mug, so much so that one British supermarket has already seen them flying off the shelves?
Obviously, we like to remember an event like this and maybe it makes us feel as though we are part of the occasion. However their monetary value is likely to be low. Eric Knowles from the BBC’s Antiques Roadshow claims, “The vast majority of it will be worthless.”
Modern day souvenirs tend to be mass-produced making them cheap and easy to find. However limited edition or high-end items tend to keep their value and could be a better investment for the future.
But there is one thing we can guarantee that won’t be mass-produced and cheap. That’s the wedding dress for Princess Catherine, as Catherine Middleton will be known

1. 1.

   From the first three paragraphs we can learn that______.

   1. A.
      many fans of the British royal family will be invited to London on April 29th, 2011
   2. B.
      Prince William and Catherine Middleton are getting married at Westminster Abbey on April 29th,
      2011
   3. C.
      many fans of the royal family will tie the knot on the same day in London
   4. D.
      fans of the royal family will join in making souvenirs
2. 2.

   The obvious feature of the souvenirs mentioned in the passage is that______.

   1. A.
      they are all tiny and easy to carry
   2. B.
      some of them are linked with tea
   3. C.
      all of them are marked with dates and pictures
   4. D.
      most of them display the pictures of the couple
3. 3.

   It can be inferred from the passage that______.

   1. A.
      the production of souvenirs has begun long before the big event
   2. B.
      the sale of souvenirs has not begun yet
   3. C.
      people buy souvenirs mainly for their monetary value
   4. D.
      production of souvenirs has little profit
4. 4.

   Which of the following is a better investment according to the passage?

   1. A.
      Souvenirs that fly off the shelves
   2. B.
      Best-selling souvenirs
   3. C.
      Mass-produced souvenirs
   4. D.
      Souvenirs released limitedly
5. 5.

   What’s the writer’s attitude towards producing and selling souvenirs?

   1. A.
      Supportive
   2. B.
      Negative
   3. C.
      Uninterested
   4. D.
      Indifferent

A young man who lived in London was in love with a beautiful girl. Soon she became his fiancée(未婚妻). The man was very poor while the girl was ___1__. The young man wanted to give her a ___2___ on her birthday. He wanted to buy something ___3___ for her, but he had no ___4___ how to do it, as he had very little __5___ The next morning he went to a shop. There were many fine things there; rings, gold watches, diamonds but all these things were __6___ There was one thing he could not take his eyes ___7___. ___8___ was a beautiful vase. That would be a wonderful present for __9___. He had been looking at the vase for half an hour ___10___ the manager asked what had happened to him.

The young man told him everything. The manager felt __11___ for him and decided to help him. A brilliant idea __12__ to him. The manager pointed to the corner of the shop. To his great ___13___, the young man saw a vase __14__ into many pieces. The manager said, “I can help you. I shall order my servant to ___15___ it and take it to your fiancée. When he enters the room, he will ___16___ it.”

On the birthday of his fiancée the young man was very ___17___ Everything happened as he had ___18___. The servant brought in the vase, and as he entered the room, he dropped it. There was __19___ on everybody’s face. When the vase was unwrapped, the guests saw that ___20__ was packed separately.

1. A. happy     B. rich    C. poor   D. angry

2. A. vase       B. coat    C. ring    D. present

3. A. important      B. necessary    C. separate      D. beautiful

4. A. way       B. thought      C. idea    D. path

5. A. time       B. thought      C. money       D. change

6. A. too expensive B. so cheap     C. too big       D. very beautiful

7. A. on   B. out     C. off      D. over

8. A. It    B. Which C. This    D. One

9. A. a man     B. him    C. a girl  D. his fiancée

10. A. when    B. while  C. since   D. after

11. A. sorry    B. sorrowful   C. worried      D. uneasy

12. A. stuck    B. came   C. helped D. struck

13. A. surprise       B. excitement  C. joy     D. horror

14. A. burst    B. broken       C. got     D. turned

15. A. wrap    B. send    C. buy     D. pick

16. A. watch   B. fall     C. drop   D. unwrap

17. A. exited   B. surprised    C. clam   D. busy

18. A. planned       B. told    C. realized      D. expected

19. A. expression    B. anger  C. horror D. fun

20. A. the vase       B. the present  C. all that       D. each piece

Sooner or later, many families will face the situation of moving. The experience can be very bad for kids, who may not be a part of the decision to move and may not understand it. You can take steps to make the whole process (过程) easier for everyone.

Many kids like to stay in familiar places. So as you consider a move, weigh the benefits (好处) of that change against the comfort that neighborhood, school, and social life give your kids. If your family has recently dealt with a big life change, such as death, you may want to put off a move to give your children time to accept the fact.

The decision to move may be out of your hands, perhaps because of a new job or money problems. Even if you’re not happy about the move, try to keep a positive (积极的) attitude to it. During the move, a parent’s attitude can greatly influence kids.

No matter what the results are, the most important way to prepare kids to move is to talk about it. Try to give your children as much information about the move as possible. You can ask kids to join in the planning such as house-hunting or the search for a new school. This can make the change feel less like it’s being forced (被迫) on them. If you’re moving across town, try to take your children to visit the new house and the new neighborhood.

A move can have many problems, but good things also come from this kind of change. Your family might grow closer and you may learn more about each other by going through it together.

According to the text, a move can be a bad experience for kids because ________.

A. they may feel they’re forced to do so      B. they often feel lonely in a new school

C. they don’t like their busy parents     D. they are tired of the moving process

In which situation does the author advise to put off a move?

A. The child’s birthday is coming. B. A family member has died.

C. The new neighborhood isn’t safe.     D. The parents have money problems.

Which is the most important when making the move easier for children?

A. Allowing them to choose a school by themselves.

B. Trying not to show them the bad parts of a move.

C. Offering them as much information as possible.

D. Promising to choose a new house with them.

The author wrote this text mainly to tell us ________.

A. what we should do before a move

B. how to prepare children for a move

C. how a move can change the family

D. why parents should talk to children often

At two o’clock a bank robber stole in. “This is a holdup,” the man said rudely. He took a gun from under his jacket, pointing to George. “Hand it over!” George reached into his money-box and took all the bills from the top part—close to six thousand dollars. The robber snatched them and turned to leave.

Then while everyone watched the robber, George calmly lifted the top part of the money-box, took bills from the bottom part and put them into his won pocket secretly.

The door was shut and the bank robber was gone. George fainted(晕倒).

As soon as he was safely behind his bedroom door, George counted the money. He had eight thousand dollars. He was very happy.

The next morning, while the others were examining the bank’s records, George was called into Mr. Burrow’s office and was introduced to Mr. Carruthers, who used to be president of the bank.

“Good morning, George, I was sorry, to give you a hard time yesterday, but with all the banks being robbed these days I thought it would be a good idea to prove that our little bank can robbed, too. I retired yesterday, just to keep everyone on his toes. Now, I have put the money back in your money-box—all six thousand.”

This passage tells us ______.

A. a serious case            B. one part of a play

C. a humorous story          D. a meaningful story

Which of the following do you think is true?

A. George wanted to protect the money for the bank.

B. George had been thinking of taking money away.

C. This bank had been robbed several times.

D. Nobody knew the bank would be robbed that day.

Why was George called into Mr. Burrow’s office?

A. His stealing money was disclosed.

B. Mr. Burrow wanted to say sorry to him.

C. Mr. Carruthers wanted to explain the whole thing to him.

D. Mr. Burrow wanted to tell him the money had been put back.

In this article “to keep everyone on his toes” means “______”.

A. to make everyone work hard

B. to keep everyone standing straight

C. to make everyone do a kind of exercise

D. to keep everyone paying attention to the coming danger

Which sentence can be used to end the story?

A. George turned cold with fear.          B. George turned red with anger.

C. George was pleased with the end.       D. George was disappointed with the end.