Our oldest daughter is having trouble letting go of an old red sofA．
It’s not the sofa she’s having trouble letting go of as much as the memories．It was their first sofA． It has been loaded and unloaded onto moving trucks seven times．Three kids have eaten on it，dripped on it，and jumped on it．
Yet she’s having a hard time letting go and asked if I thought that was strange．
“Completely，” I saiD． “You get it from me．”
When we were ready to get rid of our baby things，I sold our crib (婴儿床) at the neighborhood garage sale．I had pieces of it in the garage and the other pieces of it still in the house．A young woman said she wanted to buy it．
My throat tightened and the tears began to well．She pulled out cash and I cheered up．
But by the time I returned with the other pieces to the crib，I was all sobbing．“Have you considered that maybe you’re not ready to sell it?” the woman askeD．
“No-o-o-o，” I crieD． “It’s fine，really，” I saiD． “Take it．”
Our attachment to stuff grows in direct relationship to the amount of time it has sat in one place．The longer it sits，the harder it is to get rid of it．You think: “Hey，we’ve hung onto it this long – it must be valuable!” As though yellowing and a layer of dust increase value．
People who find it extremely hard to part with things have been made into entertainment in a television show called Hoarders．If an episode (集) of that isn’t depressing enough for you，producers now offer Extreme Hoarders．Both of which are not to be outdone by Storage Wars，a show about aggressive people who bid on other people’s storage units．
Let the sofa go，I told my daughter．It served its purpose．You can get a new one．Give the kids some crackers (饼干) and juice and it will be like the old one in six weeks．
1.What does the author mean by saying the underlined sentence “You get it from me”?
A． “You can get another sofa from me．”
B． “You can get mental support from me．”
C． “You behave just the same way I do．”
D． “You are asking the right person to help you．”
2.When the writer was selling the crib，_____．
A． she felt relieved that there was someone willing to buy it
B． she showed a strong attachment to the old item
C． she couldn’t decide whether or not to sell it in the end
D． she changed her mind in hopes of keeping it and increasing its value
3.The writer refers to the television shows to _____．
A． prove that it’s depressing to get attached to old stuff
B． explain what contributes to people’s attachment to old stuff
C． show that people in TV shows live the same lives as ordinary people do
D． prove that it’s actually common for people to find it hard to get rid of old stuff
4.Which opinion might the writer agree with according to the article?
A． If you give away old stuff regularly，you are wasteful．
B． If the old stuff has done what it was supposed to，then let it go．
C． Nothing is more valuable than your love for your old stuff．
D． The older your stuff is，the less trouble you have getting rid of it．
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
George Gershwin，born in 1898，was one of America’s greatest composers．He published his first song when he was eighteen years olD． During the next twenty years he wrote more than five hundred songs．
Many of Gershwin’s songs were first written for musical plays performed in theatres in New York City．These plays were a popular form of entertainment in the 1920s and 1930s．Many of his songs have remained popular as ever．Over the years they have been sung and played in every possible way—from jazz to country．
In the 1920s there was a debate in the United States about jazz musiC． Could jazz，some people asked，be considered serious music? In 1924 jazz musician and orchestra leader Paul Whiteman decided to organize a special concert to show that jazz was serious musiC． Gershwin agreed to compose something for the concert before he realized he had just a few weeks to do it．And in that short time，he composed a piece for piano and orchestra which he called Rhapsody in Blue．Gershwin himself played the piano at the concert．The audience were thrilled when they heard his musiC． It made him world-famous and showed that jazz music could be both serious and popular．
In 1928，Gershwin went to Paris．He applied to study composition(作曲)with the well-known musician Nadia Boulanger，but she rejected him．She was afraid that classical study would ruin his jazz-influenced style．While there，Gershwin wrote An American in Paris．When it was first performed，critics(评论家)were divided over the musiC． Some called it happy and full of life，to others it was silly and boring． But it quickly became popular in Europe and the United States．It still remains one of his most famous works．
George Gershwin died in 1937，just days after doctors learned he had brain cancer．He was only thirty-nine years olD． Newspapers all over the world reported his death on their front pages．People mourned the loss of the man and all the music he might have still written．
1.Many of Gershwin’s musical works were ．
A． written about New Yorkers
B． composed for Paul Whiteman
C． played mainly in the countryside
D． performed in various ways
2.What did Gershwin do during his stay in Paris?
A． He created one of his best works．
B． He studied with Nadia Boulanger．
C． He argued with French critics．
D． He changed his music style．
3.What do we learn from the last paragraph?
A． Many of Gershwin’s works were lost．
B． The death of Gershwin was widely reporteD．
C． A concert was held in memory of Gershwin．
D． Brain cancer research started after Gershwin’s death．
4.Which of the following best describes Gershwin?
A． Talented and productive．
B． Serious and boring．
C． Popular and unhappy．
D． Friendly and honest．
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
Guide to Stockholm University Library
Our library offers different types of studying places and provides a good studying environment．
Zones
The library is divided into different zones．The upper floor is a quiet zone with over a thousand places for silent reading，and places where you can sit and work with your own computer．The reading places consist mostly of tables and chairs．The ground floor is the zone where you can talk．Here you can find sofas and armchairs for group work．
Computers
You can use your own computer to connect to the wi-fi specially prepared for notebook computers; you can also use library computers，which contain the most commonly used applications，such as Microsoft Office．They are situated in the area known as the Experimental Field on the ground floor．
Group-study Places
If you want to discuss freely without disturbing others，you can book a study room or sit at a table on the ground floor．Some study rooms are for 2-3 people and others can hold up to 6-8 people．All rooms are marked on the library maps．
There are 40 group-study rooms that must be booked via the website．To book，you need an active University account and a valid University carD． You can use a room three hours per day，nine hours at most per week．
Storage of Study Material
The library has lockers for students to store course literature．When you have obtained at least 40 credits，you may rent a locker and pay 400 SEK for a year’s rental perioD．
Rules to be Followed
Mobile phone conversations are not permitted anywhere in the library．Keep your phone on silent as if you were in a lecture and exit the library if you need to receive calls．
Please note that food and fruit are forbidden in the library，but you are allowed to have drinks and sweets with you．
1.Library computers on the ground floor ．
A． help students with their field experiments
B． contain software essential for schoolwork
C． are for those who want to access the wi-fi
D． are mostly used for filling out application forms
2.A student can rent a locker in the library if he ．
A． can afford the rental fee
B． attends certain courses
C． has nowhere to put his books
D． has earned the required credits
3.What should NOT be brought into the library?
A． Mobile phones．
B． Orange juice．
C． Candy．
D． Sandwiches．
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
Last night’s meteor(流星)shower left many people in the community dissatisfied and demanding answers．According to Gabe Rothschild，Emerald Valley’s mayor，people gathered in the suburbs of the city，carrying heavy telescopes，expecting to watch the brightly burning meteors passing through the sky．What they found instead was a sky so brightened by the city’s lights that it darkened the light of the meteors passing overheaD．
“My family was so frustrated，”admitted town resident Duane Cosby．“We wanted to make this an unforgettable family outing，but it turned out to be a huge disappointment．”
Astronomers—scientists who study stars and planets—have been complaining about this problem for decades．They say that light pollution prevents them from seeing objects in the sky that they could see quite easily in the past．They call on people and the government to take measures to fight against it．
There is yet a population besides professional and amateur star observers that suffers even more from light pollution．This population consists of birds，bats，frogs，snakes，etC． For example，outdoor lighting severely affects migrating birds．According to the International Dark-Sky Association．“100 million birds a year throughout North America die in crashes with lighted buildings and towers．”
Countless more animal casualties(伤亡)result from the use of artificial lighting．Clearly，people enjoy the benefits of lighting their evenings，but some scientists think it can be harmful for humans，too．They worry that exposure to light while sleeping can increase a person’s chances of getting cancer．
Emerald Valley is only one community that is becoming aware of the negative effects of light pollution．For years，Flagstaff，Arizona，has enforced lighting regulations in its city in order to assist astronomers at the Lowell Observatory．Similar efforts have been made worldwide，and a movement is underway to remind us to turn off lights when we are not using them，so that other creatures can share the night．
1.It happened last night that ．
A． the city’s lights affected the meteor watching
B． the meteors flew past before being noticed
C． the city light show attracted many people
D． the meteor watching ended up a social outing
2.What do the astronomers complain about?
A． Meteor showers occur less often than before．
B． Their observation equipment is in poor repair．
C． Light pollution has remained unsolved for years．
D． Their eyesight is falling due to artificial lighting．
3.What is the author concerned about according to Paragraph 4?
A． Birds may take other migration paths．
B． Animals’ living habits may change suddenly．
C． Varieties of animals will become sharply reduceD．
D． Animals’ survival is threatened by outdoor lighting．
4.What message does the author most want to give us?
A． Saving wildlife is saving ourselves．
B． Great efforts should be made to save energy．
C． Human activities should be environmentally friendly．
D． New equipment should be introduced for space study．
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
How to Improve Eyesight Naturally
Eyes are important for everybody．You must take care and try everything in your hand to keep them in good condition．Here are some of the tips to improve your eyesight naturally．
1.
Strain is known to be a factor in many health conditions and eyestrain is no exception．Try meditation，yoga or other methods of stress relief to improve your vision and overall health．
Try palming．
Sit upright in a comfortable chair．2. Cup your hands so that there is no pressure on your eyes．Let your fingers rest across your foreheaD． There should be no light entering your eyes．Palming should be done for a period of 5 to 10 minutes to start．Palming should be relaxing．It may help to do palming in a darkened room．
Avoid sugar as much as possible．
3. It will unpleasantly affect your eyesight，which affects the eyes by producing a larger amount of insulin (胰岛素) in the blooD． Therefore you shouldn’t be having much fruit juice or something that contains a lot of sugar．
Exercise your eyes．
The only exercise most eyes get is that daily rubbing we give them when we're tired or suffering from eyestrain．But eye exercises are actually good for your eyes and can improve your vision．4. Blink as fast as you can for a few seconds then close your eyes tightly，open and repeat．Do this exercise 3 to 4 times daily．
Eat healthy．
You probably hear that statement all the time but eating the right foods are necessary to good health．5.Foods that are high in fiber，vitamin C，D and beta carotene as well as other vitamins and minerals can help improve your vision．Here are a few foods that can be beneficial to good vision: carrots，eggs，blueberries，spinach，kale，grapes，and fresh garliC．
A． Reduce eyestrain．
B． Keep your eyes moist．
C． Sugar is your eye’s worst enemy．
D． Give your eyes a workout with the following exercise．
E．You may not be aware that your diet affects your vision but it does．
F．Close eyes and cover them with the palms of your hands．
G．Be sure to get plenty of sleep so your eyes don’t strain to stay open during the day．
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
If you’re a fan of The Hunger Games，you shouldn’t miss another trilogy called Divergent．
The second book，by US author Veronica Roth，1.______ (publish) in 2012.It has spent 105 weeks on the USA Today best-selling books list and 2.______ (current) ranks No .
The trilogy’s story begins in a futuristic Chicago 3.______ people are divided into five distinct groups．Each group is characterized by certain traits – Abnegation (the selfless)，Dauntless (the brave)，Erudite (the intelligent)，Amity (the peaceful) and Candor (the honest)．Every child，at 16，takes a test 4.______ (see) which of the five factions he or she belongs to．But Beatrice Prior，born in Abnegation，is qualified 5.______ three，meaning she is a Divergent．And she is told not to tell 6.______ if she wants to stay alive．
So the decision is between staying with her family or being true to herself．Beatrice ends up 7.______ (choose) the Dauntless．After joining her new group，Beatrice renames herself Tris and tries to prove her 8.______ (brave) with amazing things like jumping off a moving train onto a rooftop．While undergoing these extreme physical tests，Tris must also determine who her real friends are．
The story of the trilogy “explores a more common adolescent anxiety – the painful realization 9.______ coming into one’s own sometimes means leaving family behind，both ideologically 10.______ physically”，commented The New York Times．
难度: 简单查看答案及解析
At a gathering，we were all telling stories of our most embarrassing moments．It came around to Frank．
Frank began to tell us of his childhooD． "I in San Pedro．My Dad was a fisherman，and he loved the seA． He had his own boat，but it was making a living on the seA． He worked hard and would stay out until he caught enough to the family．"
He looked at us and said，"I you could have met my DaD． He was a big man，and he was strong from pulling the nets and fighting the seas for the ．When you got close to him，he like the ocean．He would wear his old coat and his overalls．No matter how much my mother them，they would still smell of the sea and of fish．"
Frank's voice dropped a bit．"When the weather was bad he would me to school．He had this old truck that was older than he was he would drive toward the school，I would shrink down into the seat hoping to disappear．He would right in front of the school gate，and it seemed like everybody be standing around and watching．Then he would over and give me a big kiss on the cheek and tell me to be a good boy．It was so for me．I was twelve years old，and my Dad would lean over and kiss me goodbye!"
He and then went on，"I remember the day when I said 'No' ”
It was the first time I had ever talked to him that ，and he had this surprised look on his face．
I said，'Dad，I'm too for a goodbye kiss．'
My Dad looked at me for the longest time，and his eyes started to tear up．I had never seen him ．He turned and looked out the windshield(挡风玻璃)．'You're right，' he saiD． 'You are a big boy．．．．a man．I won't kiss you anymore．'”
Frank got a sad look on his face，and the tears began to in his eyes，as he spoke．"It wasn't long after that when my Dad went to sea and never came back．”
Tears were running down Frank’s cheeks．He spoke again．"Guys，you don't know wha would .to have my Dad give me just one more kiss on the cheek． to feel his rough old face．to smell the ocean on him． to feel his arm around my neck．
I wish I had been a man then．If I had been a ，I would never have told my Dad I was too old for a goodbye kiss．"
1.A． kept up B． grew up C． came up D． started up
2.A． hard B． absurd C． easy D． necessary
3.A． remove B． reach C． feed D． urge
4.A． prefer B． request C． suggest D． wish
5.A． fish B． favorite C． benefit D． glory
6.A． sounded B． looked C． smelled D． felt
7.A． processed B． washed C． handled D． managed
8.A． drive B． limit C． adapt D． devote
9.A． Before B． After C． Since D． As
10.A． back up B． pick up C． pull up D． speed up
11.A． could B． would C． should D． might
12.A． lean B． hold C． run D． watch
13.A． frightening B． challenging C． embarrassing D． entertaining
14.A． recovered B． paused C． requested D． admitted
15.A． day B． time C． aspect D． way
16.A． old B． delighted C． anxious D． proud
17.A． sigh B． shout C． cry D． yell
18.A． break down B． hold back C． well up D． start off
19.A． demand B． give C． rush D． infer
20.A． boy B． seaman C． backbone D． man
难度: 简单查看答案及解析
I’m sorry to occupy your precious time，and I really want to tell you anything about the problem of some people keeping too many pets nowadays．I take the problem more and more seriously for the following reason．First of all，as it is known to people，pets make loud noise that trouble residents a lot．What’s more，it is widely accepted that animal waste pollutes the environment，where makes people quite uncomfortable．Many owners like taking their pets to public place where they may frighten children or even bite people．The mostly important is that pets can spread some diseases and this has attracted much attention．Take all these factors into consideration，I sincerely hope that I can get help from you and expect the media do something for this．
Yours truly，
Wang Lin
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
假如你叫李华，你和父母在英国旅游期间于1月28日至30日入住Forest Hotel酒店，但对其提供的服务不满意，请发电子邮件给酒店的管理者进行投诉，要求其道歉并改进服务质量。1.搬运工送到房间的皮箱破损；2.卫生间漏水；3.楼下酒吧有噪音，并持续到很晚，影响休息。
注意：1.文章必须包括所有要点。可适当增加细节，以使文章连贯。
2.词数100，文章开头结尾已给出，不计入总词数
3.参考词汇：搬运工porter n; 皮箱suitcase n; 漏水leak vi．
Dear Manager，
My name is Li HuA． I stayed at your hotel_____________________________________________
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Yours sincerely，
Li Hua
难度: 中等查看答案及解析