Best Way to Save Money
Although the best way to save money can vary from person to person, depending on age, family size and other characteristics, there are still some easy things that all shoppers can do to keep more money in their bank accounts.
● Avoid impulse (冲动的) purchases.
When you shop, a best way to save money is to have a plan in mind to help you avoid impulse purchases. 1. And you only carry the exact amount of cash that you will need for your planned purchase. Some shoppers agree to discuss any purchases over a certain dollar amount with their spouses (配偶) first.
● 2.
Sometimes the best way to save money in the long term is to spend a little more money right now. 3. A high-quality pair of shoes will last longer than a bargain pair and prevent foot pain. Leaner (瘦的) cuts of meat and organic produce provide health benefits for your family.
● Buy secondhand.
Check classified ads, thrift stores and garage sales for used clothing, toys, furniture, and much more available at a part of their original cost. 4. And there members offer unwanted items for free to anyone willing to pick them up.
● Borrow instead of buy.
If you’re only going to use something once, try to borrow it instead of spending your money on it. Borrow a tool from your neighbor. 5. Check out the resources at your local library. You’ll also be reducing disorder in your home.
A. Make things by yourself.
B. Exchange books with a friend.
C. Know when to pay for quality.
D. Refuse to buy things you can’t use.
E. For instance, you might leave your credit cards at home.
F. A good piece of furniture can stay in the family for decades.
G. For the most secondhand savings, check out groups like Freecycle.
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
Chicago festival season is here, but are you ready? Music festivals, film series, street fests, beer bashes—it’s a summer long party. So pull out your calendar, reference our guide and start blocking off weekends.
◆ Friday Art Markets at Daley Plaza
Select Fridays August 19 through Stepmber
Daley Plaza
Cost: Free
Website
Directions
Nearly 75 artists will be exhibiting their work in Daley Plaza, including jewelry, ceramics, sculpture, paintings, glass, wearables, wood and mixed media.
◆ Renegade Chicago Pop-Up
Sept. 9-10
Pilsen
Cost: Free
Website
Directions
Get your hands on the goods at this outdoor celebration of all things handmade. Festivities include food trucks, DJ sets, craft brews, DIY workshops, photo ops and shopping.
◆ Millennium Park Summer Music Series
Select Mondays and Thursdays June 12 through Aug. 21
Millennium Park
Cost: Free
Website
Directions
Grab a blanket and some picnic snacks for a free outdoor concert in the park. The music series features a wide variety of music from top local, national and international artists.
◆ Northsider Craft Beer Fest
Sept 23
Uptown
Cost: $ 15-$ 69
Website
Directions
Spend a day on the green sampling beers and hard ciders (苹果汁) from breweries across the country, including Colorado, Michigan, California and Wisconsin—and let’s not forget those in our own home state, too.
1.What can you buy when you visit Friday Art Markets at Daley Plaza?
A. Art works. B. Beers.
C. Picnic snacks. D. Fruit juice.
2.Which of the following lasts more than two months?
A. Friday Art Markets at Daley Plaza. B. Renegade Chicago Pop-Up.
C. Millennium Park Summer Music Serie. D. Northsider Craft Beer Fest.
3.What is special about Northsider Craft Beer Fest?
A. You can enjoy free drinks. B. You have to pay to attend it.
C. You can appreciate a concert. D. You can create your own beer.
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
Mandy Harvey is a 29-year-old singer from the American state of Florida. She suffers from connective tissue disorder. She lost most of her ability to hear when she was 18. As a child and during her teenage years, Harvey was a singer. But she stopped singing for a time after she went deaf.
But she decided to start singing again after she learned how to feel a song’s beat through the wooden floor of a stage or theater. She uses visual aids to make sure her musical instruments are tuned correctly and she is singing in the correct pitch (音高).
Harvey is now a professional singer. But until Tuesday night, not many people in the United States had heard of her. Of course that changed when she appeared on the television show “America’s Got Talent.” The show has four judges who watch people perform and decide if they should continue in the competition.
Mandy Harvey appeared on stage with a small instrument: a ukulele. A sign language interpreter stood next to the judges. One of the judges, Simon Cowell, asked Harvey about the condition that caused her to go deaf. Then she got ready to perform. She sang a piece she wrote, called “Try.” Harvey said: “After I lost my hearing, I gave up. But I want to do more with my life than just give up.” Cowell said: “Good for you,” and clapped his hands loudly.
As she was singing，one camera cut away to capture images of people in the theater. Many were seen crying. At one point, everyone stood up and cheered. By Wednesday afternoon, a video of Harvey’s performance had been played 46 million times.
Shortly after she finished singing, Cowell smiled, and said “Mandy, I don’t think you’re going to need a translator for this.” And he reached over and hit a button that released golden confetti (五彩纸屑) into the air. That meant Harvey automatically moved on to the final part of the talent competition.
1.How does Mandy Harvey sing with her musical instruments as a deaf person?
A. By senses of touch. B. By her instrument.
C. By experience. D. By sight.
2.What does the underlined word “that” in Paragraph 3 refer to?
A. Harvey is not well-known.
B. Harvey is a professional singer.
C. Harvey is popular with Americans.
D. Harvey is lucky with her childhood.
3.What do you know about topic of her song “Try”？
A. Showing her hard situation.
B. Expressing her perseverance.
C. Asking for sympathy from others.
D. Proving her success in her career.
4.What was the result of Mandy’s performance?
A. She got the first place.
B. She moved the three judges.
C. She succeeded in entering the finals.
D. She didn’t satisfy the whole audience.
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
If you look on the Internet, you will see that almost every day of the year celebrates some kind of food. These “holidays” have become very popular across the United States. They give people a chance to enjoy something they might not eat normally, like National Onion (洋葱) Ring Day, for example. Food holidays also give restaurants and other businesses a chance to promote their products.
But where did these American “holidays” come from? Many are the invention of an Alabama man, John-Bryan Hopkins. He writes about food for his Foodimentary. com website. Hopkins told Time magazine that when he began his site in 2006, there were only 175 “holidays.” “I filled in the rest,” he said.
The National Day Calendar has a list of all the different food and non-food related “holidays.” In the past, the website used to let anyone create their own day—for a price. But now, the site only accepts requests from businesses and other organizations.
While some food “holidays” are indeed made-up, many have historical roots. For example, National Beer Day on April 7 marks the end of a U. S. ban on the production, transport, import and sale of alcoholic drinks. The ban lasted from 1920 until 1933.
The Salvation Army, a Christian group, launched U. S. National Doughnut Day on June 1, 1938. It was meant to honor women who served soldiers doughnuts during World War I.
But not everyone likes food holidays. Bethany Jean Clement is a food writer for the Seattle Times newspaper. She wrote, “I get that some people might be excited by, say, National Doughnut Day. But you really can have a doughnut any day you want!”
Tavi Juarez, also of Foodimentary. com, thinks national food holidays are here to stay. She told the Seattle Times, “In my modest opinion, I believe that food holidays will continue to grow in popularity online because there’s a lot of negativity (消极) out there. Why not choose to celebrate food instead?”
1.Why does the website accept others’ own day?
A. To promote traditional food. B. To make money.
C. To create new holidays. D. To attract more viewers.
2.What is National Beer Day related to?
A. Law. B. War.
C. Right. D. Custom.
3.Who dislikes food holidays?
A. John-Bryan Hopkins. B. The Salvation Army.
C. Bethany Jean Clement. D. Tavi Juarez.
4.Which of the following can be the best title for the text?
A. Good Chances to Enjoy Particular Foods.
B. Traditional American Foods on the Internet.
C. Tricks of Businesses: Promotion of Products.
D. National Food Days: An American Tradition.
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
American Rosalie Stoke is one of the millions of college students with a bright future ahead of her. She was born in Baltimore, Maryland. She studies chemical engineering at the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, also known as Virginia Tech. But the 22 year-old’s path to college was very different from the majority of Americans like her.
In the United States，it is common for young people to complete four years of high school at age 17 or 18. After they finish high school in the spring, those who decide to attend college usually do so two-to three-months later. However, Stoke learned about a different way of doing things from an older student. That student said that before going to college, she worked for a year helping with childcare for a family in Germany. This idea appealed to Stoke very much.
Stoke is in her third year of studies at Virginia Tech. She took a gap year in 2013. “It just sounded like a really great idea to have a year off to figure out more of what I wanted to do in college and after,” she said. So, after finishing high school in 2013, Stoke decided she also wanted to take a gap year before starting college.
In fall 2013, Stoke connected with a family in Barcelona, Spain. They agreed to let her live with them and paid her a small amount to help care for their children for seven months. Stoke studied Spanish during her free time in Barcelona. She then used money as well as money from her parents to travel for two months.
Stoke said that she felt different when she returned to the United States to begin her studies at Virginia Tech in 2014. She said she felt at ease and that she knew more about herself as a person. Also, when talking with friends who went straight to college from high school, she found many had a difficult time in their first year of college.
1.Where is Stoke unique compared with most high school students?
A. She put money before education.
B. She had a bright future ahead of her.
C. She valued practice more than theory.
D. She didn’t enter college directly after high school.
2.How did Stoke determine her style of college education?
A. She did it quite by accident.
B. She wanted to put off her college graduation.
C. She was not satisfied with the traditional way.
D. She needed to make enough money for college.
3.What did Stoke and the older student have in common?
A. They both studied Spanish in their free time.
B. They both worked for a Germany family.
C. They both looked after kids for others.
D. They both studied at Virginia Tech.
4.What was Stoke’s attitude towards her experience before college?
A. Cautious. B. Confident.
C. Ambiguous. D. Regretful.
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
I woke up to answer a phone call from a taxi driver who had my friend’s cell phone. My friend had apparently ______ it in the taxi the night before. The driver had called others, ______ I was the first one who ______ to answer.
The cab driver asked me where he could ______ the cell phone off. I told him the cross streets to where I lived and ______ jumped out of bed, got dressed and told the cab driver IW meet him on the ______ of those streets. The driver drove all the way from Queens to ______ this phone to where I lived. I ______ if he had taken on a ______ or two. He could have made some good ______ from driving that distance.
When I met up with the taxi driver I ______ him for having such a kind and beautiful soul. I was so ______ for my friend! My friend recently moved here from out of the country and I can only imagine how ______ his cell phone is to him! I further asked the taxi driver if I could get his ______, so that my friend can thank him as well. He said my ______ was all that he needed and drove off.
I e-mailed my friend ______ him I had his phone and later that day met up with him to tell him how I had received it. My friend smiled ______ bigger and said he couldn’t believe such kindness ______ in this big city. He told me he cannot ______ to pay it forward. I was so touched to witness the kind story that ______ early that morning and it just made my day!
1.A. used B. left C. played D. showed
2.A. for B. or C. so D. but
3.A. picked up B. watched over C. turned up D. calmed down
4.A. take B. pay C. drop D. ring
5.A. quickly B. finally C. slowly D. anxiously
6.A. back B. side C. front D. corner
7.A. deliver B. move C. enjoy D. repair
8.A. determined B. asked C. wondered D. doubted
9.A. stranger B. passenger C. witness D. friend
10.A. pleasure B. fame C. experience D. money
11.A. thanked B. remembered C. treasured D. paid
12.A. sorry B. encouraged C. excited D. happy
13.A. lovely B. important C. reliable D. rare
14.A. name B. opinion C. information D. request
15.A. identity B. gratitude C. help D. tip
16.A. convincing B. telling C. warning D. reminding
17.A. never B. just C. even D. ever
18.A. existed B. survived C. formed D. recovered
19.A. decide B. pretend C. wait D. refuse
20.A. differed B. succeeded C. counted D. happened
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
I was living alone in an apartment and knew no one else living there. It was winter and we had a heavy ice storm—2 to 3 1. (inch) of solid ice covered everything. I was on my way 2. (work), when I slipped, bending my left ankle from my toes 3. the back of my calf (小腿). Of course, it 4. (break), but the funny part of this 5. (be) that my dress flew up over my head!
So there I was, sitting on the ice, my ankle broken, my dress up over my face, my body slowly freezing to 6. (dead), and in horrible pain. Just then two young men I didn’t know 7. (come) along, saw me there crying, and rushed right over to me. They were strong and tall and picked up this plus-sized lady like I was 8. feather and brought me back into my apartment.
I was going into shock by then, and they called 911 and waited with me, one holding my hand and speaking 9. (gentle) to me that they would stay 10. help came. I never even got those guys’ names, and I never saw them again, but I will never forget how kind and how strong, yet gentle-they were.
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
假定英语课上老师要求同桌之间交换修改作文，请你修改你同桌写的以下作文。文中共有10处语言错误，每句中最多有两处。错误涉及一个单词的增加、删除或修改。
增加：在缺词处加一个漏字符号（∧），并在其下面写出该加的词。
删除：把多余的词用斜线（\）划掉。
修改：在错的词下划一横线，并在该词下面写出修改后的词。
注意：1.每处错误及其修改均仅限一词；
2.只允许修改10处，多者（从第11处起）不计分。
Today I visited an experienced English teacher, who used to be mom’s teacher. Both mom and I were eager to get some advice to improve her English. He welcomed us warm and began testing my English knowledge, asking me to read the texts and spelling some words. I did well as I had interested in English since childhoo. He was pleased with my performance but gave me valuable suggest: preview and review.
Then he goes through my English papers, only to find my bad handwriting, which needed being improving badly. Under his guidance, I practiced writing letters, words, sentences and a whole text.
I was surprised at what beautifully I wrote! What the wonder!
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
某英文报健康栏目征文。请你根据下面的内容提示，写一篇英语短文，谈谈你对健康的看法。
1.健康的重要性；
2.你的建议：饮食、锻炼、养成良好的生活习惯等。
注意：1.词数100左右；
2.可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。
____________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
难度: 中等查看答案及解析