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A gift card is a card that is issued （发行）by a store．These cards are big money makers for stores．One reason is that when gift-card holders go to the store，they often see other things to buy，and they spend more money than the gift card is worth．Unused cards are another reason．Stores make millions of dollars because large numbers of people never use their cards．They either lose them，forget about them，or decide that it's not worth the effort．
Gift cards are becoming very popular in many countries around the world．In the US，they are one of the most popular kinds of gifts．Why？People love the convenience-gift cards are easy to buy and easy to use，either in the store or online．The recipient can choose his or her own gift，and the giver does not have to worry about finding just the right thing．
Receiving a gift card，however，is not the same as receiving a gift．A real gift is a better reminder of the person who gave it．The message of a real gift is more likely to be，"I spent some time trying to find the right gift for you because I care about you．"Often a gift card does not send the same message as a real gift．It may seem to say，"I was in a hurry．I didn't have time to think about what you would really like．"
In today's world，gift cards are certainly convenient．However，they can make us forget the real purpose of giving gifts，which is to build a closer connection between the gift-giver and the gift-recipient．
1.How many reasons are given to explain why gift cards are big money makers for stores？ ______
A. One． B. Two． C. Three． D. Four．
2.What does the underlined word"recipient"mean in Chinese？ ______
A. 商家 B. 顾客 C. 发行者 D. 接受者
3.What is the second paragraph mainly about？ ______
A. Why gift cards are popular in the US．
B. Different kinds of gift cards．
C. Where to buy gift cards．
D. How to use gift cards．
4.What message does a gift card send according to the writer？ ______
A. I care about you．
B. I know you like gift cards．
C. I couldn't find the right gift for you．
D. I didn't have time to buy you a real gift．
5.Which of the following is the writer's opinion？ ______
A. It's easy for people to lose gift cards．
B. Gift cards are better than real gifts．
C. Gift cards help people save money．
D. Real gifts can bring people closer．
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
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One morning Fan Xing discovered that her classroom had changed．The 13-year-old saw that the desks were no longer in rows（排），but pushed together to make six bigger desks．
The new arrangement（排列） was part of a reform（改革） at Fan's school，Changsha Daotian Middle School in Hunan．About five weeks ago，more than 2，000 junior students at the school began studying in this way，with six to eight students sitting in groups．
"This reform is designed to provide students with easier ways to study and more chances for discussion，"said Liu Xu，a school head teacher．"Our school hopes it can improve students' abilities（能力） for self-study as well as teamwork．"
The new arrangement took some time for students to get used to．"I was too curious（好奇） about it for the first two days，"said Fan．But soon she and her classmates got used to it．"Now our class is quieter because we can stop loud students with some simple gestures（手势），"said Fan．"What's more，we can express our own ideas and learn others' through discussion．It's a better way to study．"
Feng Yu likes this new classroom arrangement very much and has made some progress studying．The 14-year-old said，"Group members first discuss，and then explain the solutions or answers to difficult questions in front of the whole class．"
"The discussion gives us more confidence to make speeches，"said Feng．"We can also improve our friendships．"
The reform has asked for more from teachers．They have no more than 15 minutes to teach in class．"It is a big challenge to teach in such short time the lessons which should be taught in 45 minutes，"English teacher Wang Jing said．"We have to improve methods to teach better．We must prepare some interesting topics and exercises before class so that students can discuss them．"
Wang said that some students always talk．The teachers have to move continuously in the classroom to keep them quiet and get them to concentrate on class．"It demands more，but I believe it will pay off，"Wang added．
1.From the first paragraph of the passage，we know ______ ．
A. Fan Xing was a 13-year-old student
B. Fan Xing's classroom was changed in rows
C. Fan Xing's desk was no longer in her classroom
D. six big desks were moved into Fan Xing's classroom
2.The purpose of the new classroom arrangement is to ______ ．
A. make the students feel fresh and interested
B. divide big classes into small classes
C. make more room for new students
D. provide students with more chances for teamwork
3.How did the new classroom arrangement help the students' study according to the passage？ ______
A. By stopping loud students using simple gestures．
B. By giving students more chances to work in groups．
C. By making students explain difficult questions after school．
D. By giving students more confidence to improve friendship．
4.What is the big challenge for the teachers in classroom teaching in the reform？ ______
A. The teachers have to improve their studying methods．
B. The teachers must prepare more interesting topics for exercises．
C. The teachers are only given 15 minutes to teach in one period（节） of the class．
D. The teachers have to move about in the classroom to keep the students quiet．
5.Which of the following is NOT true according to the passage？ ______
A. The students in Changsha Daotian Middle School are sitting in groups when having classes．
B. The reform in the school is aimed at improving the students' abilities for self-study．
C. Studying in groups gives the students more confidence to concentrate on class．
D. The new classroom arrangement also brings some new challenges to the teachers．
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
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Nadia Comaneci, a famous gymnast (体操运动员), was born in Romania in 1961.
When she was doing cartwheels(侧手翻)on the playground at the age of 7, a PE teacher saw her. He told her family that she was very good and advised Nadia to train in the capital of Romania. Although it was a long way from her home, Nadia went because she loved gymnastics (体操).
After that, she trained hard and took part in lots of competitions. In 1975, she was named as one of the Athletes of the 20th Century.
In 1976, Nadia went to the Olympics in Canada. She was so fantastic in the competition that everyone waited for the score, a high score. But the scoreboard showed 1.00!
Everyone was surprised. There wasn’t a sound for a moment. Then a voice came, “Ladies and gentlemen, Nadia Comaneci… 10!”
The audience (观众) cheered very loudly. So what happened? Well, when the scoreboard was built, no one thought a score of 10.00 was possible. The decimal point (小数点) was in the wrong place! In fact, the scoreboard only had three digits (数位) to show scores, such as 9.50 or 9.85 at that time.
In the 1976 Summer Olympics, Nadia Comaneci scored a perfect 10, which was thought impossible before. From then on, she was looked as a hero. In 1984, she got retired (退休的).
1.Nadia was named as one of the Athletes of the 20th Century in _______.
A. 1961 B. 1975 C. 1976 D. 1984
2.At first, the scoreboard showed Nadia got _______ in the Olympics in Canada.
A. 10.00 B. 1.00 C. 9.50 D. 9.85
3.In Paragraph (段落) 5, “Everyone was surprised” because _______.
A. she was fantastic in the competition
B. there wasn’t a sound
C. she got a score of 10
D. the score was too low
4.Put the following into correct order according to the passage.
①Nadia went to the Olympics in Canada.
②A PE teacher saw her doing cartwheels on the playground.
③Nadia went to the capital to train.
④She was looked as a hero.
A. ②③①④ B. ③①②④ C. ③①④② D. ④③①②
5.This passage is probably a ______.
A. news report B. notice C. novel D. life story
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
