Diamonds may be forever. But what’s a girl to do when she gets dumped (失恋) or divorced (离婚) and those rings, necklace and love gifts lose their emotional (情感) sense?

Help is just a click away on new Web sites that provide an outlet for selling jewelry(珠宝) from past relationships, sharing break-up stories and helping broken hearts heal (愈合).

“You go through a divorce. What do you do with that ring? Maybe you have a child you can pass it on to. Maybe you don’t. It just sits there, ” said Megahn Perry, who with her stepmother (继母) Marie Perry runs www.exboyfriendjewelry.com.

Three months after its start with the slogan(口号) “You Don’t Want It. He Can’t Have It Back,” the web site has 3,000 registered users and more than 600 postings of rings, bracelets and earrings for sale—all with a personal tale attached.

As one woman posting a diamond ring for $3,500 wrote:

“Beautiful ring came with a wrong man. Decided to sell to regain the money that I spent finishing payments on the ring that my ex didn’t.”

The idea was born when Megahn Perry, a Los Angeles actress and writer, was looking for a safe place to sell a wedding set after a divorce and realized others might have former boyfriends’ jewelry with memories(记忆) that make them too painful to wear.

The local pawn shop(当铺) proved an unattractive choice. So she teamed up with her stepmother Marie, researched the market and found a gap in it.

The passage is mainly about _____.

  A. how a web site is set up                             B. how sad the love stories are

  C. How much a website can make                   D. How many people like the web site

How long is it since the start of this website?

  A. Less than three months.                             B. At least three months.

  C. Less than one month.                                D. Not known.

How many people have registered on this website within three months?

  A. About 600.           B. About 3,000.            C. About 3,500.            D. Not know.

Who set up this website?

  A. Megahn herself alone.                               B. Megahn and her best friend.

  C. Megahn and her stepmother.                      D. Megahn and her exboyfriend.

What’s the meaning of the underlined word “gap” in the last sentence?

  A. Gulf between two people.                        B. Misunderstandings among each other.

  C. Differences from a pawn shop.                 D. A market worth developing.

AN upper class British lady once declared: “Anyone seen on a bus after the age of 30 has been a failure in life.”

I guess she meant that if you’re middle aged and don’t have a car then you are a loser. How arrogant (傲慢) and ignorant！

Unfortunately, there are still people who think that way: that somehow public transport is only for the poor. And the rest have a right to their cars. Some wealthy folk in the West look down on buses and boast (吹嘘) about how many years it has been since they last traveled by one.

How sad is that? Our roads are packed with cars and the air is full of the pollution they emit (排放). But still, many car users are unwillingly to get on a bus or a bike or a train to take themselves to work.

It’s convenient to drive, they’ll say. Buses are so unreliable, they’ll claim. And trains are expensive ---- at least in the UK.

It’s an attitude which may have to change. It doesn’t make sense to drive a car in a city where there’s a public transport system. Also, these rush hour commuters (往返上班者) usually travel alone.

As a result, transport authorities in the UK are looking at solutions to city center congestion (拥堵).

One is to increase the number of parking spaces at out-of-town railway stations. More motorists (乘汽车的人) can then leave their cars and travel into the city by train.

Light rail or tramways are another environmentally friendly solution. Many cities across Europe have installed light rail or tramway systems.

The subway in London is used by everyone, rich and poor. It’s the quickest way of getting around the city, whatever your bank balance.

And then there are the cycle hire schemes you find in many modern cities. In London and Paris, you can hire a bike by the hour to get you where you need to go.

While commuters in Beijing abandon their bicycles for cars, cycling to work grows in popularity in the West.

Many cyclists are willing to pay more than 10,000 yuan for their bicycles. Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, is often pictured cycling to work. David Cameron, the British prime minister, cycled to the House of Commons before he became leader. These days he takes the prime ministerial limousine (豪华轿车).

1.. According to the article, some British people, like the upper class woman, think that        .

A. buses are inconvenient                B. bus services are unnecessary

C. having a car is a sign of success         D. only the upper class should have cars

2. Which of the following measures is taken by transport authorities in the UK to solve city center congestion?

A. The development of cycle hire schemes.

B. Increasing the number of parking spaces in the city center.

C. Installing light rail or tramway systems in out-of-town areas.

D. Banning commuters from traveling alone during rush hour.

3.The author mentions the example of Boris Johnson in the last paragraph to        .

A. express his respect for the mayor of London

B. point to the growing popularity of cycling to work in the West

C. criticize Beijing commuters for abandoning their bicycles for cars

D. show that cars are still the most common means of transportation for famous people in Britain

4. Which of the following might the writer agree with?

A. The British prime minister should give up his limousine.

B. Beijing commuters should learn from British commuters.

C. British solutions to public transport problems are inadequate.

D. Many car owners need to change their attitudes if the traffic problem is to

In Canada and the United States, there is a new group of children called “satellite kids”, who live in one place but whose parents live in another place.

Asians are immigrating to Canada and the United States in larger numbers than ever before. Most Asians immigrate because they believe that they can give their children a better education in the West. In Asia, especially in China, Japan, and Korea, it is difficult to go to university. Students must first pass the strict national examination. However, in Canada and the United States, it is easy to go to university and anyone who wants to go can go. As a result, Asian parents decide to leave their countries so that their children can go to university.

The problem is that when Asians arrive, they discover that finding a job and making money are more difficult in the West than in the East. Also, they find that they are very lonely, and that they miss their homes. Because of these two reasons, most Asian parents decide to go back to work while their children study in the West. Therefore, these children become “satellite kids”, and most of their parents do not know how sad it is to be a “satellite kid”.

Only until now are Canadians and Americans discovering the “satellite kid” problem. Because these children do not speak English and because their parents are not there to take care of them, they are often absent from school. To be a “satellite kid” means to grow up in a country where you know you are different and where you cannot make friends because you do not speak English well. Also, it means to grow up lonely, because your parents are elsewhere. What these “satellite kids” will probably say to their parents is that it’s better to have parents around than to have a university education.

1.Some Asian parents send their kids abroad because _______.

A．all foreign universities are better than the ones in their own countries

B．they hope their children may easily find a job there

C．the kids may not be accepted by universities in their own countries

D．the kids want to improve their English and make foreign friends

2.“Satellite kids” refer to Asian kids ________.

A．with university education                 B．speaking no English

C．without parents                         D．living abroad alone

3.What is the main idea of the passage?

A．Parents want better education for their kids.

B．Kids in foreign countries alone are badly in need of care from family.

C．Parents feel lonely and miss their families.

D．Canadians and Americans begin to notice the “satellite kids” problem.

 

A few days ago I got a call from my old college friend whom I haven’t seen for a very long time. The topic, which was about all the good old times that we had changed to a touching story when he started talking about his father.　　

His father’s declining health made him stay at the hospital. Because of his illness, his father suffered from insomnia (失眠) and often talked to himself. My friend, who had not been able to sleep for a few days as he had to keep watching his father’s condition, became irritated and told his father to keep silent and try to get some sleep. His father said that he really wanted to sleep well because he was very tired and told my friend to leave him alone in the hospital if he did not want to keep him company.　　

After his father finished talking, he fell unconscious (失去知觉). My friend was very sorry for speaking the ill words towards his father. My friend, whom I knew as a tough person, cried as a baby on the other end of the telephone. He said that from that moment on, he prayed every day, asking God to let his father wake up from his coma. He promised himself that whatever words came out from his father’s mouth after he regained his consciousness, he would gladly take them. His only hope for God was to give him a chance to rectify his past mistake.　　

Often, we complain when we have to accompany or watch over our parents for years, months, days, hours or even minutes. But do we realize that our parents keep us company and watch over us for as long as we (or they) live? From the day we were born to our adulthood, and even when deaths come to us, they are always at our side.

    Imagine how sad our parents will be when they hear a seemingly innocent word of “no” come out from our mouths. We can make promises to ourselves that from now on there will be no more complaints that come out from our mouths when we have to watch over or accompany our parents. No more complaints come out from our mouths when we feel that our parents have treated us like little children. There are so many unlucky ones who have neither fathers nor mothers. They long to have the things that we most complain about, but never have them.

    Actually, it takes only a second to think and light the lamp that will bring us to a place where peace is dwelling.

1.Which of the following word can be used to describe the writer’s friend?

A. Sad      B. Sorry      C. Regretful        D. Pitiful

2.What does the underlined word “rectify” mean in Para. 3?

A. put…right    B. recite…by heart   C. realize    D. recognize

3.What does the writer want to tell us in the passage?

A. Your parents will keep talking to themselves when they are old.

B. Be good to your parents when you still have the chance.

C. You will regret in your life if you don’t show your kindness to your parents.

D. It is not easy to take good care of sick old parents.

 

In Canada and the United States, there is a new group of children called “satellite kids”, who live in one place but whose parents live in another place.
Asians are immigrating (移民) to Canada and the United States in larger numbers than ever before. Most Asians immigrate because they believe that they can give their children a better education in the West. In Asia, especially in China, Japan, and Korea, it is difficult to go to university. Students must first pass the strict national examination. However, in Canada and the United States, it is easy to go to university, and anyone who wants to go can go. As a result, Asian parents decide to leave their countries so that their children can go to university.
The problem is that when Asians arrive, they discover that finding a job and making money are more difficult in the West than in the East. Also, they find that they are very lonely, and that they miss their homes. For these two reasons, most Asian parents decide to go back to work while their children study in the West. Therefore, these children become “satellite kids”, and most of their parents do not know how sad it is to be a “satellite kid”.
Only until now are Canadians and Americans discovering the “satellite kid” problem. Because these children do not speak English and because their parents are not there to take care of them, they are often absent from school. To be a “satellite kid” means to grow up in a country where you know you are different and where you cannot make friends because you do not speak English well. Also, it means to grow up lonely, because your parents are elsewhere. What these “satellite kids” will probably say to their parents is that it’s better to have parents around than to have a university education.
【小题1】Some Asian parents send their kids abroad because ________.

A．they hope their children may easily find a job there

B．all foreign universities are better than the ones in their own countries

C．the kids may not be accepted by universities in their own countries

D．the kids want to improve their English and make foreign friends

【小题2】“Satellite kids” refer to Asian kids ________.

A．without parents	B．speaking no English
C．with university education	D．living abroad alone

【小题3】Some Asian immigrant children become “satellite kids” because their parents ________.

A．want to leave their own country	B．want them to go to university
C．return to their countries to work	D．want them to be independent

【小题4】What is the main idea of the passage?

A．Parents want better education for their kids.

B．Parents feel lonely and miss their families.

C．Kids in foreign countries alone are badly in need of care from family.

D．Canadians and Americans begin to notice the “satellite kids” problem.