When I first arrived in Taiwan to teach English, I had already taken several courses in university on Mandarin Chinese. I had done well in those courses and enjoyed them very much. I thought I would be able to have a conversation with Chinese speakers and improve my Chinese in the process.
However, as soon as I settled in Taiwan I became afraid to speak. Seeing all of the signs written in Chinese, constantly overhearing long streams of spoken Chinese, and seeing the effortless fluency of some foreigners who had been there for a while, I began to doubt my own ability to speak Chinese. It’s proved that things were different outside of the classroom.
What really happened to me was what happens every day to Chinese language learners. I became afraid and nervous at the foreignness of the language. Something happened a few weeks later. I tried to spend a lot of time in public, and the sound of spoken Chinese was becoming more ordinary to me. Despite the fact that I had not been practicing my Chinese and I had not consulted my vocabulary flashcards. I begin to notice some words that I recognized from my courses in university. At first, I heard only one word. “dianhua”- telephone. After that, I begin hearing other words. Sometimes, I would hear a couple of words in one sentence.
More and more words began to stand out to me. I started studying Chinese characters and began to be able to read small blocks of text in the advertisements. When I really began speaking in Chinese to Chinese people I met, I began to learn Chinese fast and the smiles that I received in return were a fantastic reward for the work that I had done in learning the language. It was a great feeling to order food from a restaurant in Chinese, or to make a comment about the weather to the lady who works at the bank.
What can we conclude from the passage?
A.The author is sharing his Spoken Chinese experience. |
B.The author is a fearful and cautious man. |
C.The author didn’t get good grades at university. |
D.The author couldn’t adjust to the life of Taiwan. |
According to the passage we know that_______.
A.Chinese dishes and weather attract the author deeply. |
B.the author thought he could talk with Chinese in mandarin before he arrived in Taiwan. |
C.the author failed to improve his spoken Chinese. |
D.the language in reality is just the same as that taught in classroom. |
Why does the author doubt his ability to speak Chinese at first?
A.Everything in Taiwan is different from that in America. |
B.People often misunderstand the author on purpose. |
C.Other foreigners can’t communicate with him. |
D.He has difficulty understanding the native language. |
What do you know about the author in the passage?
A.He only enjoys talking with the local people in Chinese. |
B.He can speak fluent Chinese when ordering meals at last. |
C.He loves to make a comment on woman. |
D.He has been rewarded for speaking Chinese. |
Being able to count at least ten people as friends makes us happy,but those with five or fewer are likely to be miserable,researchers say.
Their study of hundreds of men and women also found that people who feel satisfied with their lives always have lots of close friends and regularly make new ones.
While it is not clear whether our friends make us happy or we make friends because we are happy,the researchers say it is clear that we should maintain our friendships. Psychologist Richard Tunney said,“Whatever the reason is,actively working on friendships in the same way as to maintain a marriage is a prerequisite(必备条件) to happiness.”
Dr.Tunney,of Nottingham University,quizzed more than 1,700 people about their satisfaction with their lives and the state of their friendships.Those with five friends or fewer had just a 40 percent chance of being happy. .
In other words they were more likely to be unhappy than happy.Ten was the first number at which people were more likely to be happy than unhappy.The happiest people were those with dozens of friends,according to the study,which was carried out for the National Lottery(彩票).
For women,this meant having 33 friends;for men,the number was 49. Dr.Tunney said,“People who were extremely satisfied with their lives had twice the number of friends of people who were extremely dissatisfied.” Women tended to have fewer friends than men but formed tighter relationships.
Interestingly,the study found that childhood friends are no more likely to make us happy than people we become close to later in life.Lottery winners,however,have a different opinion on life.They are always happier than others despite spending their time with a small circle of old friends.This could be because they trust people they’ve known for a long time.
What’s the best title for this passage?
A.The Secret to Happiness Is to Make New Friends |
B.Having at Least 10 Good Friends Makes People Happy |
C.Why Most People Like to Make Friends Regularly |
D.Men’s and Women’s Friends Are Different |
Which of the following opinions may Richard Tunney NOT agree with?
A.People with few friends are sure to be unhappy. |
B.Our friends can make us happy. |
C.Happiness may come from a good marriage life. |
D.We may become happier if we have more friends. |
According to the passage,lottery winners ________.
A.enjoy making new friends |
B.make new friends easily |
C.like staying with old friends |
D.have no time to make friends |
We can conclude from the passage that ________.
A.it’s enough for one person to have ten friends |
B.unhappy people must have few friends |
C.childhood friends make people happier than adulthood ones |
D.friendships play a major role in people’s life |
Danielle Steel, America's sweetheart, is one of the hardest working woman in the book business. Unlike other productive authors who write one book at a time, she can work on up to five. Her research before writing takes at least three years. Once she has fully studied her subjects, ready to divided into a book, she can spend twenty hours nonstop at her desk.
Danielle Steel comes from New York and was sent to France for her education. After graduation, she worked in the public relations and advertising industries. Later she started a job as a writer which she was best fit for. Her achievements are unbelievable: 390 million copies of books in print, nearly fifty New York Times bestselling novels, and a series of “Max and Martha” picture books for children to help them deal with the reallife problem of death, new babies and new schools. Her 1998 book about the death of her was shot to the top of the New York Times bestselling list as soon as it came out. Twentyeight of her books have been made into films. She is listed in the Guinness Books of World Records for one of her books being the Times bestseller for 381 weeks straight.
Not content with a big house, a loving family, and a view of the Golden Gate Bridge, Danielle Steel considers her readers to be the most important resource and has kept in touch with them by email. While she is often compared to the heroines of her own invention. Her life is undoubtedly much quieter. But if she does have anything in common with them, it is her strength of will and her inimitable style. There is only one Danielle Steel.
Children who have read “Max and Martha” picture books may know ________.
A.how to deal with affairs at school |
B.what to do if Max and Martha die |
C.what to do when new babies are born into their families |
D.how to solve the difficult problems in their writing classes |
One of Danielle Steel' a achievements is that ________.
A.some TV plays were based on her books |
B.her picture books attracted a lot of young men |
C.one of her books became a bestseller in 1998 |
D.she wrote the Guinness Book of World Records |
We can learn from the passage that Danielle Steel ________.
A.lives an exciting life |
B.values her readers a lot |
C.writes about quiet women |
D.is pleased with her achievements |
Exploit your parking space
An unused parking space or garage can make money. If you live near a city center or an airport, you could make anything up to £200 or £300 a week. Put an advertisement for free on Letpark or Atmyhousepark.
Rent(出租)a room
Spare room Not only will a lodger(房客)earn you an income, but also, thanks to the government-backed “rent a room” program, you won’t have to pay any tax on the first £4500 you make per year. Try advertising your room on Roomspare or Roommateeasy.
Make money during special events
Don’t want a full-time lodger? Then rent on a short-term basis. If you live in the capital, renting a room out during the Olympics or other big events could bring in money. Grashpadder can advertise your space.
Live on set
Renting your home out as a “film set” could earn you hundreds of pounds a day, depending on the film production company and how long your home is needed. A quick search on the Internet will bring up dozens of online companies that allow you to register your home for free—but you will be charged if your home gets picked.
Use your roof
You need the right kind of roof, but some energy companies pay the cost of fixing solar equipment (around £14,000), and let you use the energy produced for nothing. In return, they get paid for unused energy fed back into the National Grid. However, you have to sign a 25-year agreement with the supplier, which could prevent you from changing the roof.
If you earn £5000 from renting a room in one year, the tax you need to pay will be based on ______.
A.£800 | B.£500 | C.£4500 | D.£5000 |
Where can you put an advertisement to rent out a room during a big event?
A.On Letpark. | B.On Roomspare. |
C.On Grashpadder. | D.On Roommateeasy. |
If you want to use energy free, you have to_____.
A.sign an agreement with the government |
B.pay around £14,000 for the equipment |
C.sell the roof to some energy companies |
D.keep the roof unchanged for within 25 years |
For whom the text most probably written?
A.Lodgers. | B.Advertisers. |
C.House owners. | D.Online companies |
Plants are flowering faster than scientists predicted (预测) in reaction to climate change, which could have long damaging effects on food chains (链条) and ecosystems.(生态系统)
Global warming is having a great effect on hundreds of plant and animal species around the world, changing some living patterns, scientists say.
Increased carbon dioxide (CO2) in the air from burning coal and oil can have an effect on how plants produce oxygen (氧气), while higher temperatures and changeable rainfall patterns can change their patterns of growth.
“Predicting species’ reaction to climate change is a major challenge in ecology,” said the researches of several U.S. universities. They said plants had been the key object of study because their reaction to climate change could have an effect on food chains and ecosystem services.
The study, published on the Nature website, uses the findings from plant life cycle studies and experiments across four continents and 1,634 species. It found that some experiments had underestimated (低估) the speed of flowering by 8.5 times and leafing(长出叶子) by 4 times.
“Across all species, the experiments under-predicted the speed of the advance —for both leafing and flowering —that results from temperature increases,” the study said.
The design of future experiments may need to be improved to better predict how plants will react to climate change, it said.
Plants are necessary for life on the Earth. They are the base of the food chain, using photosynthesis (光合作用) to produce sugar from carbon dioxide and water. They let out oxygen which is needed by nearly every organism on the planet.
Scientists believe the world’s average temperature has risen by about 0.8℃ since 1900, and nearly 0.2℃ every ten years since 1979.
So far, efforts to cut emissions (排放) of planet-warming greenhouse gases are not seen as enough to prevent the Earth heating up beyond(超出) 2℃ this century —a point scientists say will bring the danger of a changeable climate in which weather extremes are common, leading to drought, floods, crop failures and rising sea levels.
What is the key information the author wants to give in Paragraph 1?
A.Plants’ reaction to weather could have damaging effects on ecosystems. |
B.The increasing speed of flowering is beyond scientists’ expectation. |
C.Climate change leads to the change of food production patterns. |
D.Food chains have been seriously damaged because of weather. |
We can learn from the study published on the Nature website that __________.
A.plants’ flowering is 8.5 times faster than leafing |
B.there are 1,634 plant species on the four continents |
C.scientists should improve the design of the experiments |
D.the experiments failed to predict how plants react to climate change |
Scientists pay special attention to the study of plants because __________.
A.they can prove the climate change clearly |
B.they are very important in the food chainsA |
C.they play a leading role in reducing global warming |
D.they are growing and flowering much faster than before |
What can be inferred from the last two paragraphs about the world’s temperature?
A.It has risen nearly 0.2℃ since 1979. |
B.Its change will lead to weather extremes. |
C.It is 0.8℃ higher in 1979 than that of 1900. |
D.It needs to be controlled within 2℃ in this century. |
Making friends is a skill like most skills. It improves with practice. If you want to meet people and make friends, you must be willing to take some action. You must first go where there are people. You won’t make friends staying home alone.
Joining a club or a group, talking with those who like the same things as you do is much easier. Or join someone in some activity.
Many people are nervous when talking to new people. After all meeting strangers means facing the unknown. And it’s human nature to feel a bit uncomfortable about unknown. Most of our fears about dealing with new people comes from doubts about ourselves. We imagine other people are judging us, finding us too tall or too short, too this or too that. But don’t forget that they must be feeling the same way. Try to accept yourself as you are, and try to put the other person at ease. You’ll both feel more comfortable.
Try to act self-confident even if you don’t feel that way. When you enter a room full of strangers, such as a new classroom, walk tall and straight, look directly at other people and smile.
If you see someone you’d like to speak to, say something. Don’t wait for the other person to start a conversation.
Just meeting someone new does not mean that you will make friends with that person—friendship is based on mutual liking and “give and take”. It takes time and effort to develop.
The best topic of the passage may be ________.
A.Friendship | B.Making friends |
C.Meeting New People | D.Facing the Unknown |
Which of the following statements is NOT TRUE?
A.Making friends needs practicing. |
B.Making friends needs to be more active in getting in touch with people. |
C.When meeting someone, make him feel nice and easy. |
D.Before making friends with someone, judge him if he’s too this or too that. |
The development of friendship needs ________.
A.a lot of money | B.lots of conversation |
C.time and effort | D.carefully judging |
A Koala Isn’t a Bear
Koalas remind people of teddy bears.They have thick fur and large ears.Their broad, flat nose makes them look cute, similar to teddy bears.In fact koalas aren’t cute.They have sharp teeth and very sharp claws! Koalas are marsupials.This means the mother carries her baby in a pocket while it develops, similar to a kangaroo.The baby koala lives in its mother’s pocket for the first six months of its life.
The name “koala” comes from a native Australian word that means “no drink”. The koalas get almost all their water from the eucalyptus(桉树) leaves they eat.That’s where they get their food too.Koalas eat only eucalyptus leaves, and only the leaves of certain eucalyptus trees.The eucalyptus trees are where the koalas live.It’s also where they sleep.Koalas sleep about nineteen hours a day!
Why do they sleep so much? Some people think it’s because they’re lazy.But koalas aren’t lazy.They sleep so much because there isn’t much nutrition in eucalyptus leaves.Koalas store hardly any fat, so they must save their energy.One way to do this is to move slowly and sleep a lot.
After a day of sleeping they like to move around and eat just after sunset.They live alone most of the time.Koalas are very protective of their trees.If a koala sees another koala eating in its favorite tree, it might tell the other koala to leave by “barking” at it.Koalas do “talk” to each other.Besides barks, the males make a deep grunting sound.The mothers and babies talk in soft clicking sounds.If they get scared they may scream like a baby.
According to the article, how are koalas and kangaroos alike?
A.They both have thick fur. |
B.They both have sharp teeth. |
C.They both eat eucalyptus leaves. |
D. They both carry their young in a pocket. |
The word “koala”comes from a word that means _______.
A.no drink | B.moving slowly |
C.large ears | D.barking loudly |
Why do koalas sleep a lot?
A.Their babies need to get much rest. |
B.They get tired from playing so much. |
C.Their food does not give them much energy. |
D.They do not like to be awake when it is warm. |
If an adult koala screams like a baby, he may get ________.
A.worried | B.scared | C.hungry | D.sleepy |
Welcome to the Electronic Village to explore new ways of language teaching and learning.
Electronic Village Program (Thursday, June 18, 2015) |
|
Nearpod 9:00 am to 10:00 am Room 501 Nearpod is a software program that creates a rich context(语境) for students to learn vocabulary. The presenter will show how to use it. |
TEO 2:00 pm to 3:00 p m Room 502 Our students come from different backgrounds but have the same desire to learn on-line. The presenter will use examples from his first on-line class to explain how any teacher can begin teaching on-line with TEO. |
Kahoot 10:30 am to 11:30 am Room 601 Kahoot software can be used to create grammar tests which can be graded on a network. It can provide students with instant feedback(反馈), including resports about their strengths and weaknesses. |
Prezi 3:30 pm to 4:20 pm Room 602 Uses of Prezi in listening and speaking courses draw students’ attention to speaking more fluently. The presenter will show how students can use Prezi to confidently present on a variety of topics, including introducing family, friends, and hobbies. |
Nearpod can be used to ______.
A.offer grammar tests |
B.teach listening on-line |
C.help vocabulary learning |
D.gain fluency in speaking |
If you want to improve your speaking skills, you can go to____________.
A.Room 501 | B.Room 502 |
C.Room 601 | D.Room 602 |
Which of the following can assess your grammar learning?
A.Nearpod. | B.Kahoot. |
C.TEO. | D.Prezi. |
A teacher who wants to learn on-line teaching is expected to arrive by ______.
A.9:00 am | B.10:30 am |
C.2:00 pm | D.3:30 pmB |
My 11-year-old son and I rides bikes to and from his school every day. I accompany him on the 20-minute ride through Manhattan, drop him off and return at the end of day to pick him up. We always ride together; sometimes he leads; sometimes I do. And as we ride, we communicate the ways to minimize (使减少或缩小到最低限度) the dangers: Don’t go too fast, and watch out for doors suddenly swinging out from parked cars and jaywalking pedestrians, etc. Some friends worry about the risk of riding in traffic, but is there a better way to let my son know how to deal with traffic dangers?
But recently he requested me to start hanging back a half block or so. This way he could enjoy the feeling of riding on his own, with the security of knowing that I was nearby in case he needed me. This is healthy, of course, as my son needs space to develop independence in preparation for his inevitable (不可避免的,必然发生的) departure from home. However, that means soon he will want to ride to school on his own, and I will no longer have this wonderful routine. “Let your children go if you want to keep them.” I understand this and am trying to let my son go in age-appropriate phases, but I still suffer. It’s one of the most troubling experiences of parenthood — recognizing that your presence is becoming less welcome.
My dilemma as a husband mirrors the concern I feel as a parent. My wife has just left on a six-month mission to cover the situation in Libya. In the days leading up to her departure, we spoke openly about the possibility, however unlikely, that she might be killed. But while I influence her decisions, I do not control them. Finally, it was her decision. I know that letting go is the wisest path in this case too.
As we travel through life’s phases, we must let go of so much. And I don’t think it gets easier with practice. But maybe just accepting that eventually we will have to let go is the secret to living a full life.
Why does the writer accompany his son on his daily ride to school?
A.To build up his strength. |
B.To teach his son to ride in traffic. |
C.To tell his son the way to school. |
D.To communicate more with his son. |
Although he thinks his son’s request understandable, the writer ________.
A.is worried about his son’s safety |
B.is angry for his son’s leaving alone |
C.feels upset for being rejected by his son |
D.feels sorry for not giving his son enough space |
What does the writer’s wife do?
A.She is a soldier. | B.She is a politician. |
C.She is a media person. | D.She is a businesswoman. |
What would be the best title for the passage?
A.Letting go. | B.Father’s love. |
C.Living a full life. | D.Lessons from riding. |
There are times when nothing seems to be working in our favor. We may use complaining as a coping mechanism (办法,途经) when we are truly unhappy. However, there are many times when we don’t try our best and just want things to work our way. We may try to cover our faults by complaining about the unfairness of it all. These are expressive complaints where the complainer just wants to let out his/her anger or frustration, with no real intention of solving the problem. The complainer expects pity and recognition from the listeners although the results often disappoint him/her.
Sometimes, we use complaints as a conversation starter. Conversations that start with a complaint often have a domino effect. It may cause the listener to include his/her complaints in the conversation as well, which makes you think that you are not the only one facing problems. However, your good feeling won’t last long as long as you are always focusing on the negative.
When complaining becomes a habit, you complain to anyone that comes around. Negativity that comes from complaining kills creativity and innovation (创新). Habitual complainers are less likely to come up with new ideas, as they are busy finding faults and discourage others from trying new things by making them feel that they won’t work. When you spend time with people who constantly complain, you are likely to view things in a negative light. This will make things worse. This can affect the way you perceive your own situation, and even the people around you.
Though expressing your feelings may momentarily improve your state of mind, it could sometimes have a bad effect on the listener’s state of mind. A recent study has shown that at social gatherings while people who are unhappy may join you when you play the victim at the beginning, the majority would start avoiding you because of your negativity.
Why do people who don’t try their best often complain?
A.They want to get others’ pity. |
B.It is the best way to let out their anger. |
C.They try to find an excuse for their faults. |
D.They hope to get a solution to their problems. |
According to Paragraph 2, complaints in conversations ________.
A.are easy to deal with |
B.can spread to others |
C.may help you make friends |
D.help focus on the similar unfairness |
What do we know about habitual complainers?
A.They can hardly influence others in their negative way. |
B.They can get momentary comfort by complaining. |
C.They have a better understanding of their faults. |
D.They are more likely to put forward new ideas. |
According to the author, complaining at social gatherings is ________.
A.unusual | B.acceptable |
C.unwelcome | D.frustrating |
The world was mysterious (神秘的) when I was a child, so miracles (奇迹) were welcome wonders. Now, there doesn’t seem to be space for them in this world I so intelligently understand.
Perhaps it’s from years of working around sick and often dying children, watching time and time again as a child slips away from the arms of a begging mother. I have stopped hoping as the parents around me hope.
I recently cared for a patient near the end of his life. Medically speaking, his situation was hopeless, which made me feel helpless and defeated.
His mother came in to see him. I had prepared myself to support her, imagining she would crumble (崩溃) into a pile of tears.
“Our God is faithful,” she said, with a smile on her face and the sunshine of hope in her eyes.
“Cancer is faithful,” I muttered (嘀咕) in my mind.
“We still believe he can heal him,” she continued, as if she had heard what I was thinking.
I provided updates on his body. In a laundry list of updates, perhaps two things were positive. She thanked me for the information, repeating back the minor positive notes I had given.
I brcame kind of angry. And I wanted to sak, “Do you really not understand the gravity (严重性) of this illness?”
And then, yet again, as if she had heard me, she replied with this: A positive attitude gives us power over our circumstances, rather than allowing our circumstances to have power over us.
I was shocked. Here I was, judging her positive attitude as a fault. I completely disregarded the choice to believe in something more powerful than me, more healing than the doctors on our team. It wasn’t blind faith. It was strength and devotion.
When I came out of the room, tears welling in my eyes, I sat at my computer and looked
down at a small plate of candies she must have left for me on her way into the room. A hand
written note was laid above them: Kate, your devotion is so appreciated, S.
S, it is your devotion that I am appreciating today. Because of you, I am begging again to
believe in miracles.
The author is probably a ________.
A.nurse | B.patient | C.teacher | D.mother |
Before seeing the patient’s mother, the author thought that the patient ________.
A.would recover soon |
B.had got much better |
C.was going to die of cancer |
D.might make a miraculous recovery |
Why was the author angry with the patient’s mother?
A.Because of her optimism. |
B.Because of her impoliteness. |
C.Because she couldn’t stop crying. |
D.Because she was always complaining. |
Finally, the patient’s mother made the author become ________.
A.more patient | B.more positive |
C.more aggressive | D.more sympathetic |
A few weeks ago, while I was reading the morning paper, I turned the radio up to listen to a Saturday morning talk show and I heard an old sounding gentleman, with a golden voice. He was telling whoever he was talking with something about “a thousand marbles”.
I was intrigued and stopped to listen to what he had to say …
“Let me tell you something, Tom, something that has helped me keep a good perspective on my own priorities (优先考虑的事).”
He continued, “You see, I sat down one day and did a little math. The average person lives for about seventy-five years. Now then, I multiplied 75 by 52 and I came up with 3,900 which is the number of Saturdays that the average person has in their entire lifetime. Now stick with (继续倾听……的话) me, Tom. I’m getting to the important part.”
“It wasn’t until I had lived through over twenty-eight hundred Saturdays that I started thinking about all this in any detail,” he went on. “I got to thinking that if I lived to be seventy-five, I only had about a thousand of them left to enjoy. So I went to a toy store and bought 1,000 marbles. I took them home and put them inside a large, clear plastic container. Every Saturday since then, I have taken one marble out and thrown it away.
“I found that by watching the marbles diminish (变少), I focused more on the really important things in life. There is nothing like watching your time here on this earth run out to help get your priorities straight.
“It was nice to meet you, Tom. I hope you spend time with your family, and I hope to meet you again.”
You could have heard a pin drop on the radio when the old man signed off. I guess he gave us all a lot to think about. I had panned to work that morning. Instead, I went upstairs and woke my wife up with a kiss. “Come on, honey, I’m taking you and the kids to breakfast. And can we stop at a toy store while we’re out? I need to buy some marbles.”
The underlines word “intrigued” in Paragraph 2 probably means “ ________”.
A.encouraged | B.moved | C.worried | D.attracted |
The old man started practicing the theory of “a thousand marbles” ________.
A.in his twenties | B.in his fifties |
C.in his seventies | D.in his eighties |
What life lesson does this text teach us?
A.Spending more time with our family. |
B.Enriching our life with marble games. |
C.It’s never too late to love our family. |
D.Learning to live life to the fullest. |
Here is your best chance to travel around the UK in 2012: More than 200 B&Bs (bed & breakfast) across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland are selected to offer you amazing services for your stay at their lowest prices! Don’t miss it. Just collect the vouchers(活动券)in our B&B Daily printed from 01/ 04/ 2012 to 07/ 04/ 2012 and book the stays for your travel following the terms and conditions below:
● The offer includes a room for the night and a breakfast the next morning.
● The offer is of two kinds: £20 per room, per night, valid(有效的)during stay
period of 02/ 04/ 2012—31/ 05/ 2012 and then again 01/ 09/ 2012— 31/ 10/ 2012; £35 per room, per night, valid during stay period of 01/ 06/ 2012 — 31/ 08/ 2012.
● The offer is valid for a basic twin or double room only.
● The stay must be booked directly with the chosen B&Bs before 28/ 04/ 2012.
● Each voucher can only be used by the holder to book one room for one night.
● If voucher holders book either the £20 or £35 per room per night, any additional
services such as lunch, evening meal or activities may require an extra charge. But these are not required in order to take up the offer. Please check directly with your chosen B&Bs to see what extra services are available.
● Vouchers must be presented on arrival. If no vouchers are presented, the B&Bs may reserve(保留) the right to charge at full price for every night of stay.
● Vouchers may not be used together with any other offer.
● The voucher holders must pay for the stay in full at the time of booking. Additional £10 may be paid to confirm(确认)the booking and will be returned on arrival.
● The B&Bs reserve the right to refuse voucher holders’ bookings for people under the age of 18.
The voucher can be used for a stay at the chosen B&B on .
A.09/ 01/ 2012 | B.28/ 04/ 2012 |
C.01/ 03/ 2012 | D.04/ 02/ 2012 |
How much should be paid for a two-night stay in October 2012 at a chosen B&B?
A.£ 70. | B.£30. | C.£35. | D.£40. |
By taking up the offer, the voucher holders can choose to .
A.have lunch or evening meal without paying extra money |
B.book either a basic twin or double room at the chosen B&Bs |
C.use the B&B offer together with other offers |
D.book the stays through B&B Daily |
It is common and usual to see people freak out when they face challenges in their life. We all pass in different life problems and challenges. No one is free of life problems. Only a dead man faces no problem. As long as you are alive, challenges are everywhere.
How do you face problems and challenges in your life? Problems and challenges are the building blocks of your personality. They make you who you are. Besides, whether what happened in your life builds or destructs(破坏、毁灭)you depends on how you look at it. If you take your problems as troubles, they will be troubles and may cause destruction. If you take them as constructive (有建设性的)tools, you are going to be built up on them.
Problems are everywhere. No one can avoid them. And they are good too. They open up a different look and opportunity if you are willing to see. When you face troubles, do not frustrate or freak out. Just cool yourself to think in a different direction. Think in a positive way. Every problem has its own good as well as bad sides. Focus on the good one. Look at the bright side.
Besides, there is always a good person, perhaps your mom or dad, or one of your friends, right beside you who can turn everything into your best if you are willing to turn to them. No matter what happens, they will be there to help you. Trust them and they will never let you down. All you need to know is that you are loved wherever you are.
What’s the meaning of the underlined phrase “freak out” in Paragraph 1?
A.Feel shy. | B.Stay calm. |
C.Keep silent. | D.Feel upset. |
In Paragraph 2, the writer implies that ______.
A.problems cause troubles |
B.attitude is everything |
C.challenges can be avoided |
D.personalities are built on failures |
What’s the writer’s purpose to write the passage?
A.To encourage. | B.To compare. |
C.To prove. | D.To explain. |
What can be the best title of the passage?
A.How to Avoid Problems |
B.Challenges Are Everywhere |
C.Face Your Challenges Bravely |
D.You Are Loved Wherever You Are |
I have been consistently opposed to feeding a baby regularly. As a doctor, mother and scientist in child development I believe there is nothing to recommend it, from the baby’s point of view.
Mothers, doctors and nurses alike have no idea of where a baby’s blood sugar level lies. All we know is that a low level is harmful to brain development and makes a baby easily annoyed. In this state, the baby is difficult to calm down and sleep is impossible. The baby asks for attention by crying and searching for food with its mouth.
It is not just unkind but also dangerous to say a four-hourly feeding schedule will make a baby satisfied. The first of the experts to advocate a strict clock-watching schedule was Dr Frederic Truby King who was against feeding in the night. I’ve never heard anything so ridiculous. Baby feeding shouldn’t follow a timetable set by the mum. What is important is feeding a baby in the best way, though it may cause some inconvenience in the first few weeks.
Well, at last we have copper-bottomed research that supports demand feeding and points out the weaknesses of strictly timed feeding. The research finds out that babies who are fed on demand do better at school at age 5, 7, 11 and 14, than babies fed according to the clock. By the age of 8, their IQ scores are four to five percent higher than babies fed by a rigid(严格的)timetable. This research comes from Oxford and Essex University using a sample of 10,419 children born in the early 1990s, taking account of parental education, family income, a child’s sex and age, the mother’s health and feeding style. These results don’t surprise me. Feeding according to schedule runs the risk of harming the rapidly growing brain by taking no account of sinking blood sugar levels.
I hope this research will put an end to advocating strictly timed baby feeding practices.
What does the author think about Dr King?
A.He is strict. |
B.He is unkind. |
C.He has the wrong idea. |
D.He sets a timetable for mothers |
The word copper-bottomed in Paragraph 4 is closest in meaning to .
A.basic | B.reliable |
C.surprising | D.interesting |
What does the research tell us about feeding a baby on demand?
A.The baby will sleep well. |
B.The baby will have its brain harmed. |
C.The baby will have a low blood sugar level. |
D.The baby will grow to be wiser by the age of 8. |
The author supports feeding the baby .
A.whenever it wants food |
B.according to its blood sugar level |
C.in the night |
D.every four hours |
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