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All over my garden I’ve planted nothing but roses, sweet and — if looked at far away — bright with color like sunset clouds, I’d be very happy if anyone of my visiting friends should desire to pick and take some for their homes. I trust that any friend of mine carrying the rose would disappear into the distance feeling that his emotions had been rekindled (重燃).
A close friend came for a visit the other day. I know her to be a lover of flowers and plants. And for that reason I told her at her departure that she should pick a bunch of roses to grace her bedroom. I promised that the smell of the roses would be wafted far, far away.
That girl friend of mine, tiptoeing into the garden in high spirits, smelt here and there, but in the end she didn’t pick a single rose. I said there were so many of them that she would pick as many as she’d like to; I told her that I was not a flower farmer and didn’t make a living out of them. Saying so I raised the scissors for the sacrifice of the flowers, but she stopped me, crying no, no, no!
To cut such beautiful roses would hurt one, she said. With her hands seizing at my sleeves, she told me that by no means should they be cut. Roses are the smiling face of the earth, and who could be so iron-hearted as to destroy a smile so charming?
My mind was thoroughly shocked: the ugly earth, the rough earth, the plain earth—it is for the reason of that smile that it wins the care and pity of people.
1.The underlined word “wafted” in Paragraph 2 is closest in meaning to “__________”.
A. moved B. lost 
destroyed D. felt
2.The writer plants nothing but roses in her garden probably because ____.
A. she can make money out of them B. her friends like them
she enjoys the roses very much
D.the roses can rekindle her friends’ emotions
3.Why did the writer’s close friend refuse to pick a single rose?
A. Because the roses were not beautiful.
B. Because she did not like this kind of roses.
Because the writer did not want to give her any.
D. Because she loved the roses very much.
4.What would be the best title for the passage?
A. A lovely rose garden. B. The smiling face of the earth.
The pity of people to the roses. D. A lover of flowers.
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BEIJING, Nov. 30 – The Bird’s Nest may have been built for last year’s Summer Games but Beijing’s Olympic stadium will soon be aiming at fans of winter sports.
As temperatures have begun to drop in recent weeks, so too has the number of visitors to the 80,000-seater venue, which cost 3.6 billion yuan ($527 million) to build.
And, fearing another harsh (寒冷的) winter, National Stadium Co Ltd, which owns the Bird’s Nest, yesterday planed to spend 50 million yuan on a “snow festival”.
From Dec 19, visitors will be able to pay 120 yuan to enjoy skiing and snowboarding, among other things, on its newly constructed slopes.
The stadium owners expect to attract more than 20,000 visitors a day – twice as many as it currently does – during the two-month festival, which will include events for both the Western and Chinese new years.
Officials revealed it would take just 5,000 visitors a day to cover the costs of the project.
“It’s not a bad idea. You can ski on man-made snow in Dubai, so why not here?” said Heiko Grasse, a tourist from Germany, yesterday.
Famous outdoor equipment makers and local brands are in talks over sponsorship for the event, the Bird’s Nest owners said yesterday, while the capital’s television network will also provide 500 hours of coverage.
“The Bird’s Nest will not have a cold winter again,” Wu Jingjun, the new president of National Stadium Co Ltd, told China Daily yesterday. “We will create seasonal events almost every month from now on with assistance from the government and, importantly, the public.”
Yang Cheng, a newly appointed vice-president of National Stadium Co Ltd, said the snow festival would run for five consecutive winters if successful.
1.How many people visit The Bird’s Nest a day before the “snow festival”?
A. About 80,000. B. About 20,000. About 10,000. D. About 5,000.
2.Which of the following is TRUE according to the text?
A. The “snow festival” will attract more visitors from China than the Western countries.
B. People aren’t allowed to visit The Bird’s Nest before Dec 19.
The “snow festival” would run for at least five winters.
D. More than 2.4 million yuan a day is expected to be made in the “snow festival”.
3.What does Wu Jingjun mean by saying “The Bird’s Nest will not have a cold winter again”?
A. The Bird’s Nest will be kept at high temperatures in winter.
B. Winter Olympic Games will be held in The Bird’s Nest.
The “snow festival” will provide many events in winter.
D. The Bird’s Nest will get much more assistance from the government.
4.Which of the following may NOT be included in the “snow festival” events?
A. A football game. B. Skiing. Snowboarding. D. A New Year’s Party.
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Some people worry about being the target of laughter. These people are frightened. They suffer from an emotional disorder called gelotophobia. That long name comes from the Greek language. The word Gelos means laugh, while phobos means fear.
Victor Rubio is an expert on human behavior at the Autonomous University of Madrid. He says people laugh at others for many different reasons. He says being laughed at causes a fear response in the victim. That fear leads the victim to avoid social situations. Sadly, gelotophobia limits the way they lead their lives.
Victor Rubio was among researchers in a huge international study about laughter. The researchers wanted to understand the difference between normal shyness and true gelotophobia. Another goal was to measure the fear of being laughed at within different cultures.
A team from the University of Zurich led ninety-three researchers from many countries in search of answers.
The researchers surveyed more than twenty-two thousand people. They used questions provided in forty-two languages. Their findings were reported in the scientific publication Humor.
Some of the people questioned said they felt unsure of themselves in social situations. But they hid their feelings. Others said they avoided social situations where they had been laughed at before. People also admitted to differing levels of fear that they themselves were the targets of other people’s laughter. The researchers measured and compared all these reactions.
Fear of being laughed at, being made fun of, is a common emotion. But the researchers learned that these feelings differed from nation to nation.
For example, the study found that people in Turkmenistan and Cambodia are likely to hide insecure (不安) feelings when they are around others’ laughter. But people in Iraq, Egypt and Jordan who feel they have been victims before may avoid such situations.
People in Finland were the least likely to believe that people laughing in their presence were making fun of them. Only eight and a half percent of Finns said they would – compared to eighty percent of those questioned in Thailand.
1.The passage is mainly about______________.
A. a common emotion B. laughter shyness D. gelotophobia
2.In which country are people most likely to avoid social situations where they have been laughed at before?
A. Turkmenistan B. Iraq Finland D. Thailand
3.According to the text the following is true EXCEPT that ________.
A. people suffer from gelotophobia because they are shy
B. not all the people questioned hid their feelings in social situations
perhaps Humor is a magazine
D. people in Finland are the least likely to suffer from gelotophobia
4.A person who suffers from gelotophobia will probably ______.
A. be active in social activities B. be easily laughed at
like to laugh at others D. like to stay alone
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The name of Macau comes from the word Magao (A-Ma Temple), which were shrines (圣地) dedicated to Mazu, a holy sea goddess worshiped by Macau people. It was said that when the Portuguese people first came here in the middle of sixteenth century, one of the officers asked a fisherman the name of the land. The man misunderstood the officer’s question, and answered “Magao” – the name of A-Ma Temple in front them.
Many people wonder how Macau is spelled. Is it “Macao” or “Macau”? Both are actually correct. Macao is Portuguese, and this is the official spelling backed by Macau SAR Government. Macau is English, that’s how they spell it in the U.S. and other parts of the world. However, most publications use “Macau” as the preferred spelling.
Members of the Southern Song Dynasty and some 50,000 followers were the first recorded inhabitants (居民) of the area, seeking shelter in Macau from invading Mongols in 1277. They were able to defend their settlements and establish themselves there.
The Hoklo Boat people were the first to show commercial interest in Macau as a trading center for the southern provinces. During the Ming Dynasty (1368–1643), fishermen migrated to Macau from various parts of Guangdong and Fujian provinces and built the A-Ma Temple in which they prayed for safety on the sea.
Chinese fishermen have been living and working in the Pearl River Delta for more than four thousand years. The small peninsula and islands that came to be called Macau were first settled by the Portuguese in the sixteenth century.
In 1998, Chinese (Cantonese) was given official status and the same legal power as Portuguese, the official language. The Chinese government assumed sovereignty over Macau on December 20, 1999, ending 329 years of Portuguese rule.
1.We can learn from the text that the name “Macau”_________.
A. is named after a sea goddess B. is first called by the Portuguese
is only used in publications D. is given by a fisherman
2.Which is the correct order of the things that happened in Macau?
a. Portuguese people first came to Macau.
b. The fishermen of Guangdong and Fujian migrated to Macau.
c. The first recorded inhabitants established themselves in Macau.
d. the A-Ma Temple was built in Macau.
A. c, b, d, a B. d, c, b, a b, c, a, d D. a, c, b, d
3.Which of the following statements is NOT true according to the passage?
A. Both Chinese and Portuguese are official languages in Macau.
B. The A-Ma Temple was built in honour of a holy sea goddess.
The inhabitants in Macau mainly made their living by fishing before the 16th century.
D. Macau didn’t belong to China until December 20, 1999.
4.Members of the Southern Song Dynasty went to Macau in order to ____.
A. show commercial interest in Macau B. find a good place for fishing
get away from their enemies D. establish Macau SAR there
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Monday — 9:00 p.m.
I love to answer questions about children’s health. Some questions and their answers become articles, FAQ’s, Updates, Fast Facts, Top Tips, or Guidelines here on the site. I answer others in real time during chat. Either way, here is how to submit a question.
I am available live, for one hour, every weekday. No appointments are necessary! All you have to do is log on to chat and ask your question. In most cases, you’ll get your answer right there! Some of the questions from chat are selected for me to write about in greater depth. Even if you don’t have time to stay at chat, send your question to the chat host to be considered for a future article.
Please join me in chat, Monday — November 22, 2009 at 9:00 p.m.
I will urnbe in the chat room for one hour to answer your children’s health questions. To ask your question, please type a “?” mark on the screen. A host will call upon you when it is your t to ask a question.
Click here to chat.
Click here to learn more about chat.
Click here for a complete chat schedule.
1.The writer is probably ________.
A. an advertiser B. a lawyer a teacher D. an adviser
2.If you want to have a talk, you have to _______.
A. wait patiently B. write to the author in advance
be on the line D. make an appointment
3.Which is NOT true according to the passage?
A. The writer sometimes writes questions into an article.
B. The writer can be visited on Monday — November 22.
The talker has to type a “?” mark on the screen.
D. Anyone who asks questions must come to the chat room.
4.The chat with the writer on the screen _______.
A. lasts a long time B. must be about children’s health questions
has to be called on Monday D. will become articles to be published
I am looking for my pen on the floor D. I failed an important test