It warmed my heart today to walk into the Thirsty Camel downtown in the Thanksgiving Day, for a quick lunch before a haircut and library trip. Ihan, a food shop owner, said that he was refusing to take money today because it was Buy Nothing Day. To increase awareness(意识) of the strange’s over-spending nature of our society, Ilan suggested a trade for food today. He simply asked that you offer something of equal personal value for the meal you received.
At first I was really uncomfortable, wondering if it would be fair to exchange a yet to be determined “I Owe You” (IOU) for food? What could I give him of equal value? After all, his food is the best in the town!
We ended up writing our IOU’s with promises of a book, some paintings and the offer of work in a variety of ways if he needs it.
I think the idea isn’t that the trade is “equal” so much as the importance of the kind of transaction. We put thought into our offer and we had an even greater understanding for the meals we ate.
We don’t buy a lot, especially at this upcoming time of year. We don’t give gifts at all in fact. The holiday time is spent enjoying each other’s company and doing things together with family and friends. This is what seems most sensible.
Ilan is a good person. We are all lucky to have someone like this in our community.
1.Ilan did not take any money that day in order to .
A.have a quick lunch before a haircut and library trip
B.trade for something of equal value in return
C.make people aware of their over spending
D.buy nothing that day to save some money
2.For the meal, the author finally offered Ilan .
A.some promises B.a book
C.some paintings D.work in different ways
3.Which of the following is closest in meaning to the underlined word “transaction”?
A.transport B.trade
C.meal D.giving
4.What is the author’s attitude to Buy Nothing Day?
A.Disagreeable B.Meaningless.
C.Doubtful. D.Supportive.
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
Craziest Food Festivals sounds like a joke topic, but once you start looking into it, you’ll realize they’re everywhere — the crazier, the better.
1. Bibimbap Festival
In the South Korean town of Jeonjuloves, their “mixed rice” dish is a hearty serve of rice topped with raw beef, a rainbow of vegetables, a raw egg and gochujang sauce so much. They take four days out of October to celebrate it.
Like any festival there’s music, entertainment and magic, but making it that little bit different is the bibimbap that’s whipped (搅拌) up in a big bowl by dozens of chefs and served to over 400 people.
2. Waikiki Spam Jam
Who knew this canned meat had so much love? Well, it turns out that a can of Spam is the go-to item in Hawaii, along with a grass skirt and garland (花环). The people of Hawaii love Spam so much that they even spend a day in May giving out the best Spam, a type of cheap canned meat made mainly from pork.
3. Bessieres Easter Egg Festival
At Easter time, for those in the French town of Bessieres it’s all about an egg far less sweet.
Here they celebrate the holiday by getting dozens of chefs to make one large omelette (煎蛋卷) — 15,000 eggs strong — for the townsfolk (市民).
4. Potato Days Festival
This festival actually takes place in Barnesville, Minnesota, the US. Over the last Friday and Saturday in August the town celebrates its potato-growing skills by hosting potato picking and peeling contests, as well as a Miss Tater Tot pageant (盛典) for five- and six-year-old girls.
1.What makes Bibimbap festival special?
A.They take four days to celebrate it.
B.The mixed rice is rich in many vegetables.
C.There’s music, entertainment and magic during the festival.
D.The rice dish needs to be mixed in one big bowl by dozens of chefs together.
2.What do we know about Waikiki Spam Jam ?
A.The spam is the most favorite for Hawii people.
B.People spend one day to prepare the Jam.
C.The Jam isn’t affordable for the plain townsfolk.
D.The Jam is mainly made from raw beef.
3.If you have time in August, you can go to ______.
A.Bibimbap Festival B.Waikiki Spam Jam
C.Bessieres Easter Egg Festival D.Potato Days Festival
难度: 简单查看答案及解析
Last night Mr. and Mrs. Rojas stayed home. It was cold and rainy and they didn’t want to go out in the bad weather. Mrs. Rojas made some popcorn and ice tea. At 8:00, Mr. and Mrs. Rojas went into the living room, sat on the sofa and began the movie and ate and drank. At 8:15, Mr. and Mrs. Rojas realized they already watched the movie last year and they didn’t want to watch it again.
“Now what?” asked Mr. Rojas. “Let’s play cards!” answered Mrs. Rojas. At 8:30 Mr. and Mrs. Rojas started to play cards. They were playing for about 10 minutes when Mr. Rojas looked out the window. The rain changed to snow and the trees were covered in beautiful white snow. “I’m happy we stayed home tonight. It looks beautiful outside but this weather is very dangerous to drive in.” said Mr. Rojas. “You’re right,” said Mrs. Rojas, “but I’m bored. Let’s play some music and dance.”
Mr. Rojas was surprised. “Dance? But I really don’t ….”
“Oh come on!” Mrs. Rojas insisted. She put on a romantic CD and they both started to dance. They were dancing for about 1 minute when suddenly the music stopped and the lights went out. Mrs. Rojas laughed. “We’re just not very lucky tonight, are we?” she said. Mr. Rojas said, “Of course we’re lucky! We are together!” He kissed her and continued to dance with her, in the dark and without music.
1.Why did Mr. and Mrs. Rojas stay at home last night?
A.They wanted to stay together. B.The weather was so terrible.
C.They had a dinner at home. D.They planned to watch a movie.
2.When it started to snow, Mr. and Mrs. Rojas were _________.
A.making popcorn B.watching a movie
C.playing cards D.dancing to the music
3.We can infer from the passage that .
A.It was a rainy day in summer B.Mrs. Rojas cooked very well
C.Mr. Rojas loved to dance at first D.Mr. Rojas was in love with his wife
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
Reasons to Consider Learning a Second Language
In our current society, having the ability to understand a second language is becoming increasingly valuable.1.. So take a look at why this is such a valuable skill to have.
You will be more competitive in the job market.
Businesses are always looking for people who are bilingual to be translators and to communicate with non-English speaker. Bilingual employees get paid 5%-20% more than people who only speak one language.2.
You can get credit for it during college.
If you study another language at a university, you will get credit (学分) toward graduating. You can startfrom the very beginning and learn a brand-new language or continue on from what you were studying in high school. Be aware, however, that college classes can move quickly and are considered to be difficult at times.3.
You can study abroad in a wider range of countries.
Studying abroad is an amazing experience that everyone should take advantage of. About 79% of Americans believe that students should seize the opportunity to spend a semester in another country.4. Learning another language can help expand the number of countries you can choose from.
Learning a language is a big commitment and is not easy by any means. If you don’t have the time to learn a language in school, there are still many, way to become proficient in another language. One program to look into is Livemocha which is a free online program where you can learn a foreign language.5.There are many other countries and written resources to consider as well.
A.This is only one suggestion.
B.So only take what you can handle.
C.Many people learn a language in order to get high marks.
D.There are a wide range of countries that you can choose from.
E.You can even go for a major in a language if you get far enough along.
F.Being able to communicate in more than one language can open countless doors.
G.Having knowledge of a second language can make you stand out in the job market.
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
During Plant Week, my kindergarten students learn all about the importance of plants and how plants grow. Each student got their own little pot and was shown how to ______them with dirt, plant seeds, and water them. So we did our ______in the classroom and the next ______was to take them just outside and ______each of them.
One student in particular was still a little behind on his planting skills, and pretty much flooded his pot when ______ to water it. His classmates laughed at him, of course, which really _________ him, and I had to ______ him that he would be able to redo his flower pot after we had a ______. Well, little did we all know that his pot was going to have a(n) ______sprout (嫩芽)．
Of course, being late spring in Mississippi, it was an especially ______afternoon. So as we were ______ our door after a break, which took us past right their flower pots. I heard this ______ “Miss Welch, Miss Welch！！______ what's coming out of my flower pot！！”
Knowing that it had only been about an hour since we planted the seeds，I had no ______ what I was about to see. But there ______was, a frog appearing in his flower pot filled with too much water. ______， that frog found its way into the pot to ______ on that hot day, and his flower pot, which had been made fun of by his classmates, was now the main ______ for the rest of the day.
The frog was ______ the next day, but my student didn't want to redo his flower pot ...He did, however, put fresh water in it every day just ______ the frog came back to cool off ...
1.A.support B.replace C.cover D.fill
2.A.designing B.cleaning C.activity D.homework
3.A.step B.method C.subject D.project
4.A.paint B.water C.improve D.weigh
5.A.trying B.promising C.affording D.choosing
6.A.satisfied B.upset C.stopped D.frightened
7.A.challenge B.warn C.remind D.assure
8.A.tool B.lesson C.break D.conversation
9.A.native B.beautiful C.long D.unexpected
10.A.quiet B.cloudy C.hot D.windy
11.A.approaching B.breaking C.occupying D.reforming
12.A.confused B.excited C.amused D.satisfied
13.A.Look B.Remember C.Say D.Believe
14.A.attitude B.suggestion C.advice D.idea
15.A.nobody B.anything C.it D.he
16.A.Thus B.Besides C.However D.Somehow
17.A.grow up B.go on C.cool off D.come out
18.A.message B.attraction C.connection D.chance
19.A.buried B.gone C.noticed D.followed
20.A.in case B.now that C.because D.until
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
阅读下面材料，在空白处填入适当的内容（1个单词）或括号内单词的正确形式。
In your daily life, there are many examples where your parents control hundreds1. things for you when you are a kid, such as the clothes you wear, the food you eat, where you go and how you get there. It is a good thing. Kids need this kind of 2. (protect) and help because they are not old enough3.(take) care of themselves and make decisions 4.(correct). But with you growing5.(old), the part of being a teen is developing your own identity—one that is separated from your parents. Different 6. (attitude) towards events like partying may lead to arguments, because your parents will always want to protect you and keep you safe, no matter how old you are. As a result, your parents feel 7.hard to get used to the new situation with8. (increase) anxiety. What kids should keep in mind is9.in most cases, your parents can relate to what you’re going through because they10.(be) teens once.
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
根据下列句子所提供的意思及所给单词的首字母，在答题卷上按题号写出各单词的正确形式（每空限填一词）。
1.Did you report the l_____________of your jewelry to the police?
2.Music is the u________________language of human beings.
3.He p______________to be doing his homework when the teacher came in.
4.She was very glad to receive an i_____________to the party.
5.We have a lot in c____________, so we often have a lot to talk about.
6.Even though the work was difficult, he m___________to finish it himself.
7.The thief was s___________by police boarding a plane for London.(发现)
8.This kind of food _______________(含有) a lot of fat.
9.I will tell him the news on his _________________(到达).
10.Smoking is not p___________in the office.
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
假如你是李华。你的美国朋友Alex来信说，考试临近时，他总会感到焦虑。请你给他回信。内容：
1.向Alex表示问候和安慰。
2.提出建议。（至少两点）
注意：1.词数80左右；
2.可适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。
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难度: 中等查看答案及解析