For most of us, our house is our home base, and having a happy and pleasant vibe (氛围) in all of our rooms is important.

1. ... Adding color to any room can help you feel more cheerful, and it can be done pretty quickly! Consider painting just one wall a lively color. A bright red, a peaceful green or even a lively yellow completely changes the feel.

2. ... First of all, think flower power! Fresh flowers are very easy to get at your local grocery market, and they make any room seem more alive. Plants have the same positive effect. Another way to celebrate life is to surround yourself with images of friends and family. Don’t keep your photos in albums or in your computer. Put them up on the walls to remind yourself of your favorite times and your favorite people.

3. ... The more points of light in any room, the better it will be. Especially as the days are getting shorter, having warm lighting will help you feel full of energy and alive through the winter months. In your bedroom, put a lamp on either side of your bed. Installing dimmers (调光器) is also a simple and inexpensive way to make the mood of a room easy to change. At dimmers.net, for example, you can get a dimmer for just $17.75.

4. ... You begin and end almost every day in your bedroom, so make the room comfortable! Have proper bedding and pillows (枕头). Keep your bedroom as tidy as possible, and remove anything that will interfere with your sleep. Get your new pillows and bedding at bedbathandbeyond.com.

5. Take control It’s this simple: Clear space = A clear mind. Keep desktops, countertops and tabletops open. Put the papers, files and other things away. Not only will your home feel cleaner, it will feel a whole lot bigger!

1. What’s the purpose of this passage?

A. To tell us what is a good life.  

B. To tell us how to decorate our houses.

C. To give us some tips on how to have a better mood.

D. To tell us how to have a happy and comfortable home.

2. What does the underlined phrase “interfere with” mean?

A. Get in the way of.                   B. Protect from.

C. Deal with.                              D. Keep away from.

3. Match each of the first four tips with one of the following titles.

a. Get comfortable.

b. Celebrate life.

c. Let there be light.

d. Color your way to happiness.

A. 1-d 2-c 3-a 4-b                  B. 1-a 2-b 3-c 4-d

C. 1-d 2-b 3-a 4-c                  D. 1-d 2-b 3-c 4-a

4. In which section of a newspaper would you most probably read this passage?

A. Teaching.              B. Family. C. Housing.   D. Life.

For most of us, our house is our home base, and having a happy and pleasant vibe (氛围) in all of our rooms is important.
1. ... Adding color to any room can help you feel more cheerful, and it can be done pretty quickly! Consider painting just one wall a lively color. A bright red, a peaceful green or even a lively yellow completely changes the feel.
2. ... First of all, think flower power! Fresh flowers are very easy to get at your local grocery market, and they make any room seem more alive. Plants have the same positive effect. Another way to celebrate life is to surround yourself with images of friends and family. Don’t keep your photos in albums or in your computer. Put them up on the walls to remind yourself of your favorite times and your favorite people.
3. ... The more points of light in any room, the better it will be. Especially as the days are getting shorter, having warm lighting will help you feel full of energy and alive through the winter months. In your bedroom, put a lamp on either side of your bed. Installing dimmers (调光器) is also a simple and inexpensive way to make the mood of a room easy to change. At dimmers.net, for example, you can get a dimmer for just $17.75.
4. ... You begin and end almost every day in your bedroom, so make the room comfortable! Have proper bedding and pillows (枕头). Keep your bedroom as tidy as possible, and remove anything that will interfere with your sleep. Get your new pillows and bedding at bedbathandbeyond.com.
5. Take control It’s this simple: Clear space =" A" clear mind. Keep desktops, countertops and tabletops open. Put the papers, files and other things away. Not only will your home feel cleaner, it will feel a whole lot bigger!
1. What’s the purpose of this passage?
A. To tell us what is a good life.  
B. To tell us how to decorate our houses.
C. To give us some tips on how to have a better mood.
D. To tell us how to have a happy and comfortable home.
2. What does the underlined phrase “interfere with” mean?
A. Get in the way of.                    B. Protect from.
C. Deal with.                       D. Keep away from.
3. Match each of the first four tips with one of the following titles.
a. Get comfortable.
b. Celebrate life.
c. Let there be light.
d. Color your way to happiness.
A. 1-d 2-c 3-a 4-b                  B. 1-a 2-b 3-c 4-d
C. 1-d 2-b 3-a 4-c            D. 1-d 2-b 3-c 4-a
4. In which section of a newspaper would you most probably read this passage?
A. Teaching.          B. Family.      C. Housing.   D. Life.

Glynis Davis:

I first piled on the pounds when I was in the family way and I couldn’t lose them afterwards. Then I joined a slimming(减轻体重的) club. My aim was 40 pounds and I lost 30 pounds in six months. I felt great and people kept saying how good I looked. But Christmas came and I started to slip back into my old eating habits. I told myself I’d lose the weight at slimming classes in the new year…… but it didn’t happen. Instead of losing the pounds, I put them on. I’d lost willpower and tried to believe that the odd bag of fish and chips didn’t make any difference but the scales don’t lie.

Roz Juma:

To be honest, I never weigh myself any more---I’ve learned to be happy with myself. It seemed to me that I would feel sorry about every spoonful of tasty food that passed my lips. My idea is simple. You shouldn’t be too much thinking about food and dieting. Instead, you should get on with life and stop dreaming of a super-thin body. This is obviously the size I meant to be and , most of all, I’m happy with it.

Lesley Godwin:

I was very happy about winning Young Slimming of the Year. I’d look in the mirror unable to believe this slim lady was me ! That might have been my problem—perhaps from then on I didn’t pay any attention to myself. Winning a national competition makes everything worse, though, because you feel the eyes of the world are fixed upon you. I feel a complete failure because I’ve put on weight again.

Ros Langford:

    Before moving in with my husband Gavin, I’d always been about 110 pounds, but the domestic bliss(福佑) went straight to my waist and I put on 15 pounds in a year.       Occasionally I try to go on a diet…I’m really good for a few days, then end up having the children’s leftovers(吃剩的食物) or eating happily chocolate—my weakness. I’d like to be slim, but right now my duty is the children and home. I might take more exercise when my kids are older.

What do you think the four women were all talking about ?

   A. Their life after marriage          B. Their own slimming matter 

C. Their work as a housewife        D. Different diets they prefer

Where are these short texts most likely to be taken from?

   A. Talks on the air                 B. Advertisements in the newspaper

   C. Books in a library               D. Magazines for children

What does the underlined word “ scales”(paragraph 1 ) mean?

   A. the coach in the slimming club     B. some tool to measure weight

   C. Glynis Davis’ dear husband        D. The salesperson in a food shop

Which of the following best describes each of the four women’s attitudes towards slimming ?

   1. Glynis Davis                  a. I put on weight soon after I got married

2. Roz Juma                     b. Fame(名声) doesn’t necessarily mean success.

   3 Lesley Godwin                 c. Facts speak much louder than words

   4. Ros Langford                  d. I like myself as I am.

   A. 1-c ,2-d, 3-b, 4-a     B. 1-c ,2-b, 3-d,4-a    C. 1-d,2-a,3-b,4-c   D. 1-a, 2-b, 3-c, 4-d

For most of us, our house is our home base, and having a happy and pleasant vibe (氛围) in all of our rooms is important.

1. ... Adding color to any room can help you feel more cheerful, and it can be done pretty quickly! Consider painting just one wall a lively color. A bright red, a peaceful green or even a lively yellow completely changes the feel.

2. ... First of all, think flower power! Fresh flowers are very easy to get at your local grocery market, and they make any room seem more alive. Plants have the same positive effect. Another way to celebrate life is to surround yourself with images of friends and family. Don’t keep your photos in albums or in your computer. Put them up on the walls to remind yourself of your favorite times and your favorite people.

3. ... The more points of light in any room, the better it will be. Especially as the days are getting shorter, having warm lighting will help you feel full of energy and alive through the winter months. In your bedroom, put a lamp on either side of your bed. Installing dimmers (调光器) is also a simple and inexpensive way to make the mood of a room easy to change. At dimmers.net, for example, you can get a dimmer for just $17.75.

4. ... You begin and end almost every day in your bedroom, so make the room comfortable! Have proper bedding and pillows (枕头). Keep your bedroom as tidy as possible, and remove anything that will interfere with your sleep. Get your new pillows and bedding at bedbathandbeyond.com.

5. Take control It’s this simple: Clear space = A clear mind. Keep desktops, countertops and tabletops open. Put the papers, files and other things away. Not only will your home feel cleaner, it will feel a whole lot bigger!

1. What’s the purpose of this passage?

A. To tell us what is a good life.  

B. To tell us how to decorate our houses.

C. To give us some tips on how to have a better mood.

D. To tell us how to have a happy and comfortable home.

2. What does the underlined phrase “interfere with” mean?

A. Get in the way of.                      B. Protect from.

C. Deal with.                        D. Keep away from.

3. Match each of the first four tips with one of the following titles.

a. Get comfortable.

b. Celebrate life.

c. Let there be light.

d. Color your way to happiness.

A. 1-d 2-c 3-a 4-b                   B. 1-a 2-b 3-c 4-d

C. 1-d 2-b 3-a 4-c             D. 1-d 2-b 3-c 4-a

4. In which section of a newspaper would you most probably read this passage?

A. Teaching.          B. Family.      C. Housing.   D. Life.