A used book or nearly-new kitchen gadget (配件) may not be at the top of every Christmas wish list, but hard economic times coupled with a new green awareness are changing attitudes about gift-giving in France.
French holiday shoppers are choosing larger numbers for “green” gifting this Christmas, studies show. About 30 percent of French consumers will give second-hand items as gifts to stretch out their tight budgets but also to do their little bit for recycling, according to a study by international consulting firm Deloitte.
The survey of Christmas consumer behaviors in 18 European countries found the French were more than twice as likely as other Europeans to give second-hand items. Websites promoting re-gifting and green gifting are popular in France, with many reporting a rise in business.
“Concerns about the ecology and the economy have come together and we are now seeing people who accept the types of gifts that were not appreciated just a short time ago,” said Sebastien Ravut, who runs a website promoting eco-friendly consumerism. His site lists shops in France that offer fair trade products, bio-friendly goods and recycled items. Over the Christmas holidays, the number of visits to the site has doubled from last year, reaching 60,000 a month.
A study by online survey firm Vivodi for PriceMinister showed eight out of 10 people would be happy to receive a used item as a gift and that younger consumers were more open to the idea.
But Gilles Goldenberg, author of the Deloitte study, said that environmental concerns are not why customers buy used goods. “The number one concern is getting the lowest possible price,” said Goldenberg. “Eco-friendly products are drawing a lot of interest, but not if that means paying more.”
Theatre tickets and other low-carbon gifts are fashionable, and eco-friendly websites are also encouraging gift givers to offer time and services instead of stuff. “The order of the day is to spend less time shopping and more time connecting” over the holidays, said Florence de Monclin from the Nicolas Helot foundation for Nature and Humanity.
We can judge from the Deloitte study that _________.
A.over a quarter of the French give second-hand Christmas gifts |
B.the French are less willing to buy eco-friendly gifts than other Europeans |
C.80% of French people are happy to receive second-hand gifts |
D.less than 10% of European consumers are likely to give second-hand gifts |
According to Goldenberg, the main reason for customers to buy used goods is that _______.
A.they want to be eco-friendly | B.they want to save money |
C.it is encouraged by websites | D.it is a new fashion in Europe |
All the following might be a promoted gift EXCEPT ________.
A.a theatre ticket |
B.a second-hand book |
C.a nearly-new digital toaster |
D.a box of heavily packaged chocolate |
Which of the following statements is TRUE?
A.Old people are not open minded enough to accept second-hand gifts. |
B.People wish to receive second-hand gifts because of the economic downturn. |
C.Ravut’s website received a sharp decrease in visits during the Christmas holidays. |
D.In de Monclin’s opinion, people should spend more time with friends and family during holidays |
Here are a few tips we’ve put together to help you learn English well.
Speak, speak, speak
Practise speaking as often as you can—even speaking to yourself is good practice.
Try recording yourself whenever you can. Compare your pronunciation with the master version, see how you can do better and have another go. If you do this several times, you will find that each version is better than the last.
Why not learn with someone else?
It helps if you can learn with someone else. If you can persuade a friend or a family member to study with you, it will make you keep working.
Don’t get stuck by a word you don’t know.
Practise improvising(即兴的)ways of getting your meaning across when speaking spontaneously(本能地), even if you don’t know the exact words or phrases. Think of things you might want to say whenever you have spare time. Use facial expressions, hand movements, anything to get your meaning across.
Language learning is also about intuition(直觉).
Guesswork is an important way to learn a new language. When listening to recorded material, you aren’t expected to understand everything first round. If you play the same piece several times, you will most probably understand something new each time.
Build up your vocabulary.
A wide vocabulary is the key to successful language learning but don’t try to learn too much at once. It’s best to study frequently, for short periods of time. Take at most six or seven items of vocabulary and learn them. Put them into sentences to fix them in your mind, then come back to them later.
And above all, have fun!
Why should one have himself recorded when practicing speaking?
A.To improve his speaking. | B.To record his own progress. |
C.To encourage others to start. | D.To compare himself with others. |
In the writer’s opinion, which of the following is the most important in leaning English?
A.Speaking. | B.Pleasure. | C.Intuition. | D.Vocabulary. |
It is implied in the passage that _______ is helpful when you are learning English.
A.body language | B.a good material |
C.a good friend | D.a proper dictionary |
According to the passage, one should ______ when you are learning English.
A.always work with other people | B.be able to guess everything new |
C.often review what he has learnt | D.take little notice of grammar |
A new law helps people with disabilities. The law says that people with disabilities must be able to get into and out of all public buildings. It also says that business must offer special services to people who have special needs. Companies can not refuse to hire disabled workers. Many businesses may have to change their buildings and services.
—Ramps (坡道) must be built so people can get into buildings.
—Movie theatres must have space for people in wheelchairs and seats for their friends to sit near them.
—Elevators (电梯) must have floor number in Braille.
This law will help millions of people. One woman who has been in a wheelchair for many years said,“It is like a dream.”
According to the passage we can see that .
A.it will be difficult for the normal persons to get into the public buildings |
B.the buildings of all the businesses will have to be changed |
C.Most businesses used to offer special services to people who have special needs |
D.it was difficult for the disabled workers to find jobs in the past |
Ramps can help people .
A.with hearing problems |
B.who have difficulty in using their hands |
C.who have difficulty in using their legs or feet |
D.who don’t like stairs |
The fact that the new law has been passed shows that______.
A.the government has paid no attention to the disabilities |
B.the government wants to help these disabilities |
C.normal people show mercy to the disabilities |
D.companies will hire millions of disabled people |
Four years ago when I was a boy of 11, I got into the biggest trouble as a kid. It was a Saturday morning. Both my parents were out, leaving me and my 10—month—old sister became alone. Anyway, my sister was still asleep in her room. In fact I had the house to myself. I decided to do some drawing. Soon I gave up. Nothing was on TV, so I felt bored and touched the candles on the shelp…I had an idea! What would happen if I see fire to some kitchen paper? Well, of course it went on fire, but it wasn’t the tiny flame(火箭)I’d expected, and I couldn’t blow it out. I threw it on the floor, and then luckily got my dad’s boots(靴子)and stamped it out.
I thought I was safe until there was a HCGE hole in my room. When my mum came home later, she smelt the smoke immediately. She dropped the shopping bag, luckily for me, over the hole. I thought this meant she would never see it. However, after running round the house checking for a fire, she of course picked up the bag and saw the hole. Next I was grounded(关禁闭)and in trouble for months. Even though, the hole was still there, reminding me of what I did.
How old was the writer when he wrote the passage?
A.11 years old. | B.13 years old. |
C.15 years old. | D.17 years old. |
The underlined words “stamp out” in the first paragraph mean ____.
A. 吹灭 B. 扑灭 C. 杀灭 D浇灭
Put the sentences in the right order according to the passage.
①The boy set fire to some kitchen paper.
②The boy did some drawing.
③The boy was grounded.
④The boy stamped the fire out.
⑤His mother checked for a fire.
A.②④③①⑤ | B.②①④⑤③ |
C.②①④③⑤ | D.①③④②⑤ |
Who put out the fire at last?
A.The writer. |
B.The writer and his sister. |
C.The writer’s mother. |
D.The writer’s father. |
What’s the main idea of the passage?
A.It’s difficult to put out a fire. |
B.The boy didn’t look after his sister. |
C.The boy made a big trouble when he was 11. |
D.Don’t leave children home alone while shopping. |
A strange thing happens to nearly everybody at night. They turn off the lights, put up the covers and close their eyes. Six or seven hours later, they wake up again. Strange, isn’t it?
Sleep puzzles science. Scientists and doctors would rather talk about why one can’t fall asleep. They are not so sure what causes sleep.
The best conditions for sleep, they say, are good health and meal neither too big nor too small. No worries and a comfortable place to sleep in are important, too. They advise against two in one bed.
Strange things happen during sleep. For example, you move often. You would feel tired if you didn’t. You also dream. Part of your brain is still awake when you dream. Dreaming happens when the memory and imagination parts of your brain are still awake. Experiments have shown that bad dreams may be caused by a stomachache.
Don’t worry if you dream. Some great stories and poems were begun while the writers slept.
41. Sleep puzzles scientists because they are not certain _______.
why one can’t fall asleep
why one wakes up six or seven sleeping hours later
both A and B
D. what causes sleep
42. You would feel tired during sleep if you ________.
A. move often B. sleep on your back C. didn’t move D. went back too later
43. Dreaming happens when _______.
A. you are in a deep sleep B. you are not comfortable
C. part of our brain is still awake D. there’s too much noise in the room
44. The best title for this passage is ________.
A. Why You Dream B. The Strangeness of Sleep
C. What Happens During Sleep D. The Cause of Sleep
Wearing seat belt is,of course,the first step to safe driving.These additional measures might also save your life.
Count to three.Keeping up enough space between your car and others is extreme1y necessary.Jim Clark,a California driving instructor,suggests a least amount of three seconds’following distance.To figure this,pick an object on the roadside ahead.When the car in front of you passes it,start counting one-thousand-one,one-thousand-two,one-thousand-three.If you get to that object before you reach one-thousand-three,you don’t have three seconds of following time --- time needed to keep away from accidents.
Let followers pass.“If someone’s driving after you,get out of his way,”Clark advises.“You’re better of being safe than right.”
Expect the worst.In a study,the Federal Highway Administration(联邦公路局)found that 68 percent of drivers do not come to a complete stop at stop signs.When you’re driving and see someone come near to a stop sing,assume the person’s not going to stop.
And when you stop at a crossing and another car comes near with its turn signal on,don’t take it true that the driver will turn.Instead,wait until he turns.He may have had the signal on for miles.
Stay outside.In crowd,multilane(多车道) traffic,drive in either the outside--left or outside--right lane.“That allows you somewhere to go if a problem develops,”traffic expert Francis Kenel says.“If you’re in the middle,all you can do is to pause from time to time.”
According to the text if you want to drive safely you should .
A.wear seat belt | B.take some additional measures |
C.at least take 5 steps | D.count to three |
When you finish counting“one-thousand-three",you have .
A.driven one thousand and three metres | B.kept three seconds’distance from other cars |
C.counted a lot of numbers | D.kept a long distance from the object |
What does the underlined word“assume”in Paragraph 4 probably mean?
A.Maybe. | B.Guess. | C.Ask. | D.Suppose. |
Mr.Kenel tells us while driving in multilane traffic_______.
A.we’d better find somewhere to go |
B.it will be better for us to drive in the outside lanes |
C.it is safer to drive in the middle |
D.we must drive on the left |
When you buy a T-shirt, or a fur coat in a store , it often carries a label(标签) telling who made it or from what store it was bought. Indeed, some labels show the dress is famous and it is very expensive, so buyers who deal with the cheapest products would be pleased to do away with labels entirely.
However, there is another label more important than the one showing from which store the dress was bought. When a person buys a fur coat, or a jacket , from a store , a label telling what the product is made of should be carried to it.
This label is required by law. Besides telling what the product on show is made of , the label should be in clear English and be where one can find it easily. The information on the label must be the truth.
The reason for this label is that most buyers today aren’t expert enough to know exactly what kind of fur or material they are buying. The buyer must believe in the store that sells the products or in what the labels say.
The author doesn’t agree that_______.
A.some clothes may carry more than one label |
B.some clothing stores sell cheap dresses |
C.shops can sell products with or without labels |
D.buyers will believe what the label says |
This article mainly refers to__________.
A.making furs and clothes | B.protecting buyers with law |
C.keeping the buyers informed | D.businessmen and sellers |
Which of the following is true?
A.Not all buyers know the materials they are buying. |
B.A fur coat with a high price often carries a false label. |
C.A label only says what material the product is made of . |
D.A T-shirt seldom carries a label. |
It gives me great pleasure today to say a few words in praise of a man we will all miss very much. To be honest, I can't imagine we will do without him when he's gone.
Bill Masters almost single-handed built up our sales force in the Houston area and developed the market position that we enjoy today. In only six years, he has brought the firm from a very low fifth position in the area sales to the point where we now outsell all but one of our competitors. Not only have we got 37 per cent of the market under Bill's leadership; we are increasing our share with each passing month.
As you know, the company has moved Bill to northern California to work his sales magic in one of this company's most competitive(竞争的) areas. But we know that if anyone can do it, Bill Masters can, and I know you all join me in wishing him the best of luck in his new work.
The speech was made _______.
A.at a welcome meeting |
B.at the opening of a new school term |
C.when somebody was leaving |
D.when they had a new manager |
How long did Masters worked there?
A.37 years | B.less than 5 years |
C.about six years | D.since he began to work |
When Bill started to work in Houston area, he had _______to help him.
A.many people | B.nobody |
C.about 37 people | D.very few people |
Bill increased the company's sale _______.
A.by 37 per cent every month |
B.to the second largest in the area |
C.to be the fifth largest in the area |
D.five times as much as before |
“BANG!” the door caused a reverberation(回声).It was just standing there, with father standing on one side , and I on the other side.
We were both in great anger” Never set foot in this house again!” stormed father.With tears welling up in my eyes, I rushed out of the flat and ran along the street.
The street lights were shining rather desolately(凄凉的).I wandered aimlessly.
A young father who held a child in his arms walked past me.I felt as if I saw my childhood from another space: happy and harmonious.
But now...I don’t know whether it is because I have grown up or because dad is getting old.We differ in our ways of thinking.He always imposes his opinions and codes of behavior on me.Whenever I do something wrong, he never admits it.We are just like two people coming from two different worlds.It feels like there is an iron door between us that can never be opened.
I wandered the streets, without a destination in mind.My heart was frozen on this hot summer night.As I walked on there were fewer and fewer people on the streets, until I had only the street lights to keep me company.When I finally reached the high-rise apartment block in which I lived ,I saw that the light was still on.
I thought to myself: “Is father waiting for me, or is he still angry with me?”
In fact, it was nothing.Perhaps, dad was throwing away some of his old stamps.Perhaps he thought they were useless.I never had the courage to tell him that I liked collecting stamps.I can’t stand his outrageous(蛮横的)words: “I can’t throw you away, let alone these old papers ?”
All the lights were off except father’s.
Dad was always like this.Maybe he didn’t know how to express himself.After shouting at me, he never showed any mercy or any moments of regret.After an argument he has the habit of creeping up in my sleep and then tucking me underneath the covers.
This was how he always was.He has been a leader for so long that telling everyone else what to do has become his second nature.
The light was still on.“Am I wrong?” I whispered ,maybe...With the key in hand, I was as nervous as I had ever been.At last, I decided to open the door.As soon as I opened the door tears ran down my cheeks.I suddenly realized that the iron door that I had imagined between us did not exist at all.Love—it second to none.
Decide which is the best order of the following according to what happened in the passage.
a.I opened the door and entered the house.
b.Sadly I ran out into the street.
c.I reached the place where I lived and saw my house still brightly lit.
d.I thought of my father’s kindness towards me.
e.I walked about in the street without any aim.
A.b,e,d,c,a | B.b,e,c,d,a | C.b,e,a,c,d | D.b,e,c,a,d |
What made the writer think of his childhood ?
A.The sight of the desolate street lights. |
B.The sight of the empty street. |
C.The sight of a father with a child in his arms. |
D.The sight of light in his own house. |
Why do you think the father often shouts at his son ?
A.perhaps the father is getting older and older. |
B.perhaps the son has already grown up. |
C.perhaps they never agree with each other. |
D.perhaps the father has got used to doing that. |
What conclusion can you draw after reading the passage ?
A.The father treats his son in an unfair way. |
B.The father is actually kind to his son. |
C.The father is neither kind nor cruel to his son. |
D.The father is always finding fault with his son. |
It seems that some people go out of their way to get into trouble.That’s more or less what happened the night that Nashville Police officer Floyd Hyde was on duty.
“I was on the way to a personal-injury accident in West Nashville.As I got onto Highway 40,blue lights and sirens(警笛)going.I fell in behind a gold Pontiac Firebird that suddenly seemed to take off quickly down the highway.The driver somehow panicked at the sight of me.He was going more than a hundred miles an hour and began passing cars on the shoulder.”
But Hyde couldn’t go after him.Taking care of injured people is always more important than worrying about speeders,so the officer had to stay on his way to the accident.But he did try to keep the Firebird in sight as he drove,hoping another nearby unit would be able to step in and stop the speeding car.As it turned out,keeping the Firebird in sight was not that difficult.Every turn the Pontiac made was the very turn the officer needed to get to the accident scene.
Hyde followed the Pontiac all the way to his destination(目的地).At that point he found another unit had already arrived at the accident scene.His help wasn’t needed.Now he was free to try to stop the driver of the Firebird,who by this time had developed something new to panic about.
“Just about that time,” Hyde said,“I saw fire coming out from under that car,with blue smoke and oil going everywhere.He’d blown his engine.Now he had to stop.”
“After I arrested him.I asked him why he was running.He told me he didn’t have a driver’s license(执照).”
That accident cost the driver of the Firebird plenty---a thousand dollars for the new engine---not to mention the charges for driving without a license,attempting to run away,and dangerous driving.
The underlined word“panicked”in Paragraph 2 means .
A.feared | B.hated | C.excited | D.satisfied |
The driver of the Firebird suddenly speeded down the highway because .
A.he was racing with another driver on the road |
B.he realized he had to hurry to the accident scene |
C.he thought the police officer wanted to stop him |
D.he wanted to overtake other cars on the shoulder |
Which of the following statements is true?
A.Someone else was taking care of the injured person. |
B.The Pontiac reached its destination at the accident scene. |
C.Hyde knew where he was going by following the right car. |
D.The policeman was running after a speeder on Highway 40 |
Choose the best title for the passage.
A.Going My Way? | B.Help on the Way? |
C.Fun All theWay? | D.Losing His Way? |
阅读理解(共20小题,每小题2分,满分40分)
阅读下列短文,从每小题所给的A、B、C、D四个选项中选出一个最佳选项。
A
Julia is at Roosevelt. She wants to go to Baseball Field. She should change lines at .
A.Grand | B.Cliton |
C.Reno | D.Randolph |
Louis is going to Medical Centre from Damen. He should get off at the stop.
A.third | B.fourth |
C.fifth | D.sixth |
To go to Airport from Youth Centre, you should take underground lines in this order: .
A.Blue Line → Green Line → Red Line |
B.Red Line → Green Line → Blue Line |
C.Blue Line → Red Line → Green Line |
D.Red Line → Blue Line → Green Line |
Have you ever returned a book late to the library before? If so, you may pay a small fine(罚款). How much would you have to pay if the book is returned 65 years late?
A high school in Washington, Us had to deal with such a problem recently. A copy of Gone with the Wind was finally returned to its library 65 years late.
However, the school said that it would not ask Wayne to pay the fine, though that would be about $475.
The book was borrowed out of the library of the high school in 1949, and disappeared until it was found in Maine, Us by Wayne. Wayne found the book in his father’s basement(地下室) and then offered to send it back to the school.
“I feel very sorry about that,” Wayne said.
“We’re very pleased to have the book back. Wayne did the right thing,” Lori Wyborney, headmaster of the school said.
The book was borrowed out of the library of the high school _____.
A.in 1949 | B.in 1965 |
C.in 1975 | D.in 2014 |
Gone with the Wind is the name of _____.
A.a library | B.a school |
C.a book | D.a magazine |
____ offered to send the book back to the school.
A.Wayne’s father | B.Wayne |
C.Lori’s headmaster | D.Lori |
No one can change the weather. Nobody can control the weather. But if we read correctly the signs around us, we can tell what the more important changes in the weather will be. This way of telling what the weather will be like on the following day or two is called weather forecasting(天气预报).
For many centuries and in all countries, people have studied the weather and tried to make weather forecasting. Rings around the sun are a sign of coming rain. That many people feel their joints(关节) hurt is a sign of wet weather. Some birds fly high if fine weather is coming, but they fly near the ground if rainy or stormy weather is on the way. If you see a rainbow during rainy weather, this is a sign that the weather will become clear and fine. Such rainbows come in the evening. If the stars twinkle clearly at night, then fine weather will continue. If a fog appears in the morning just above a river, then the day will be warm. If the sunset is mostly red in colour, then the following day will be fine. If a rainbow appears in the morning, rainy weather will probably come.
Most of the above sayings have been made by the people who have used their eyes and brains to make weather forecasting.
Geena David knew she wanted to be a movie star when she was very young. She was not sure what gave her the idea, but she wanted to look like a movie star. “I have a lot of pictures from my childhood of me wearing sunglasses,” she says. “I used to wear them to watch TV.”
Early movie actors started wearing sunglasses not because they looked good, but because their eyes hurt. The lights used on movie sets were extremely bright and could cause a painful problem known as “Klieg eyes”. It was named after the Klieg brothers who invented the lights. Actors wore sunglasses to give their eyes a rest. But when movie stars began wearing their sunglasses in public, they quickly became a must.
Eventually actors started wearing sunglasses in their movies as well as on the street. Audrey Hephburn wore ultra-cool Ray-Ban sunglasses in the 1961 movie, Breakfast at Tiffany’s. As a result, Ray-Ban sunglasses started to appear more and more in the movies. In 1979, Ray-Ban “Wayfarers” were worn by Jake and Elwood in The Blue Brothers. Tom Cruise wore Ray-Ban “Aviator” sunglasses in the 1986 hit, Top Gun. Then in 1997, Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones made Ray-Ban “Predator” sunglasses famous in Men in Black.
Of course sunglasses aren’t just a fashion statement. The main reason to wear sunglasses is to protect our eyes against UV radiation. UV radiation can damage our eyes, so people now choose their sunglasses carefully. But you don’t have to give up style for safety. The choice of frames and lenses available these days is huge. So you can protect your eyes and still be the coolest person on the beach.
What is mainly discussed in this passage?
A.The use of sunglasses. | B.The history of sunglasses. |
C.The sunglasses wearing. | D.Why movie stars like to wear sunglasses. |
Why did Geena David like to wear sunglasses?
A.She was a movie star. |
B.She wanted to follow a movie star. |
C.Wearing sunglasses was good to her eyes. |
D.It was good to wear sunglasses when watching TV. |
Early actors’ eyes hurt because ______.
A.they wore sunglasses |
B.they went out in the sun too much |
C.the lights on movie sets were too bright |
D.their scripts were written in very small writing |
Now people wear sunglasses ______.
A.just to protect their eyes | B.for fashion and to protect their eyes |
C.because of bright lights | D.because movie stars wear them |
Whether we find a joke funny or not largely depends on where we have been brought up.The sense of humour is mysteriously(神秘地)connected with national characteristics.A Frenchman ,for instance, might find it hard to laugh at Russian joke.In the same way, a Russian might fail to see anything amusing in a joke which would make an Englishman laugh to tears.
Most funny stories are based on comic situations.In spite of national differences, certain funny situations have a worldwide request.No matter where you live, you would find it difficult not to laugh at, say ,Charlie Chaplin’s early films.However, a new type of humour, which stems largely from America, has recently come into fashion.It is called “sick humour”.Comedians base their jokes on tragic situations like violent (cause by force)death or serious accidents.Many people find this sort of joke distasteful.The following example of “sick humour” will enable you to judge for yourself.
A man who had broken his right leg was taken to hospital a few weeks before Christmas.From the moment he arrived there, he kept on pestering(纠缠) his doctor tell him when he would be able to go home.He was afraid of having to spend Christmas in hospital .Though the doctor did his best, the patient’s recovery was slow.On Christmas day, however, the doctor consoled(安慰)him by telling him that his chances of being able to leave hospital in time for New Year celebrations were good.The man took heart and, sure enough , on New Year’s Eve he was able to hobble(跛行) along to a party.To compensate(补偿)for his unpleasant experiences in hospital , the man drank a little more than what was good for him.In the process, he enjoyed himself and kept telling everybody how much he hated hospitals.He was still mumbling something about hospitals at the end of the party when he slipped on a piece of ice and broke his left leg.
Whether you find “sick humour” funny or not will depend on ________.
A.your having been brought up in America |
B.the joke being related to a really comic situation |
C.your ability to see the funny side of an unpleasant event |
D.your ability to laugh until you cry |
The man spent Christmas day feeling miserable because ________.
A.the doctor had failed to cure him |
B.he was not able to be with his friends |
C.being unable to walk, he did not enjoy the celebrations at the hospital |
D.he thought he might also miss the New Year’s Eve celebration |
The point of the joke taken to explain “sick humour” is that ________.
A.no sooner was the out of hospital than he had to go back in again. |
B.the man should not have said how much he hated hospitals |
C.the man would be unable to walk for the rest of his life |
D.the man had not got a leg to stand on |
What can you learn from this story ?
A.On New Year’s Eve, the man was able to walk properly to the party. |
B.At the party , he enjoyed himself but only drank a little. |
C.He had to go to hospital again though he hated it. |
D.The man got well soon because the doctor took good care of him. |
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