Some time ago ,I discovered that one of my chairs had a broken leg. I didn’t think there would be any difficulty in getting it mended ,as there are a whole lot of antique shops near my home. So I left home one morning carrying the chair with me. I went into the first shop expecting a friendly reception. I was quite wrong. The man wouldn't even look at my chair.

The second shop, though slightly more polite, was just the same, and the third and the fourth - so I decided that my approach must be wrong.

I went into the fifth shop with a plan in my mind. I placed the chair on the floor and said to the shopkeeper,“ Would you like to buy a chair?” He looked it over carefully and said,“ Yes, not a bad chair. How much do you want for it, sir?” “Twenty pounds,”I said. “OK, ”he said, “I’ll give you twenty pounds. ”“It ‘s got a slightly broken leg,”I said. “Yes, I saw that, it's nothing.”

Everything was going according to plan and I was getting excited. “What will you do with it?”I asked. “Oh, it will be easy to sell once the repair is done. ”“I'll buy it,”I said. “What do you mean？ You’ve just sold it to me,”he said. “Yes, I know but I’ve changed my mind. I'm sorry, I'll give you twenty -seven pounds for it. ”“ Your must be crazy, ”he said. Then, suddenly the penny dropped. “I know what you want. You want me to repair your chair. ”“ You’re right, ”I said. “And what would you have done if I had walked in and said,Would you mend this chair for me?I wouldn't have agreed to do it,” he said. “We don’t do repairs, not enough money in it and too much trouble. But I’ll mend this for you, shall we say for a fiver?”He was a very nice man and was greatly amused by the whole thing.

1.We can learn from the text that in the first shop the writer ________.

A. was rather impolite               　　   B. was warmly received

C. asked the shopkeeper to repair his chair      D. asked the shopkeeper to buy his chair

2.The expression “the penny dropped” in the last paragraph means the shopkeeper ________.

A. changed his mind　　　　　　　       B. accepted the offer

C.decided to help the writer　　　　       D. saw the writer’s purpose

3.How much did the writer pay?

　A.　 ￡ 5.　　B. ￡ 7.　　    C. ￡ 20.　　　　D. ￡ 27.

4.From the text, we can learn that the writer was ________

　A. honest　　　　B. careful　　　　 C.　 funny　　 D. smart　

 

Although credit cards are becoming a more acceptable part of the financial scene, they are still regarded with doubts by many as being a major part of the “live now pay later” syndrome（综合症）．Along with hire-purchase, rental and leasing schemes（租赁项目）, they provide encouragement to spend more money．Of course, it is only the hotheaded who give way to the temptation to live, temporarily at least, beyond their means, and such people would no doubt manage to do so even without credit cards．

Advertising campaigns have, however, promoted a growing realization of the advantages of these small pieces of plastic. They prevent need to carry large amounts of cash and are always useful in emergencies．

All the credit card organizations charge interest on a monthly basis which may work out as high as 25 per cent a year, yet sensible purchasing using a card can mean that you obtain up to seven weeks, interest-free credit．Using the card abroad, where items frequently take a long time to be included on your account, can extend this period even further．

It is worthwhile shopping around before deciding on a particular credit card. It is necessary to consider the amount of credit granted; interest rates, which may vary slightly; the number and range of outlets（经销店）, though most cards cover major garages, hotels, restaurants and department stores; and of course, what happens if your card is lost or stolen．A credit card thief may be sitting on a potential goldmine particularly if there is a delay in reporting the loss of the card．

However, if used wisely, a credit card can cost nothing, or at least help to tide you over a period of financial difficulty．

1.The hotheaded are people who ________．

A．spend more money than they have

B．spend less money than other people

C．save money

D．make money

2.The disadvantage of credit cards is ________．

A．to enable you to buy things without carrying large amount of cash

B．to encourage people to spend more money

C．to be always useful in emergencies

D．to help people tide over a period of financial difficulty

3.Deciding on a particular credit, you do not have to consider ________．

A．the amount of credit granted　　

B．the number and range of outlets

C．the possibility of loss of money

D．the department stores where you are going to use your credit cards

4.The underlined words in the last paragraph probably means ________．

A．floating with the tide of

B．going through a difficult period of

C．rising and falling with the tide of

D．attempting to go against the tide of

 

Hello. It’s one of the first words we learn as babies, yet it’s one of the last words we think to use as adults today. That’s unfortunate, because saying hello is more than just saying hello——it is recognition of another’s worth. How might the world change——how might we change——if we mastered this word? To find out, I spent one month saying hello to every person I met. Here’s what I’ve learned.

　　 It can boost (促进) productivity. In one of the few studies ever done on this subject, Allan All day, an assistant professor of special education at Oklahoma State University, had middle school teachers greet their students individually each morning. This exchange of greetings raised the kids’ productivity. School went from impersonal to personal, and that resulted in more class participation and better grades.

　　 Environments influence friendliness. One study found that people in the city were less likely to shake hands with a stranger than those in the countryside. My experience was similar. Whatever the reason, my urban hellos were answered far less often than my rural ones. Similarly, people in vacation spots were far friendlier than those hurrying work downtown.

　　 It’s a form of universal health insurance. It’s impossible to say hello without smiling. And smiling has been shown to lower blood pressure, relieve stress and boost happiness. Apparently, a smile creates a similar effect in the recipient (接受者).

So maybe we can make the world a better place by____________.  After a month of doing it, I feel lighter and I have a better sense of well-being.

1. What does the author say about the adults’ saying hello today?

_______________________________________________________________________________

2. Which sentence in the text is the closest in meaning to the following one?

　　Teachers and students got friendlier so that the students became more active in learning and scored higher in tests.

　　____________________________________________________________________

3.Fill in the blank in Paragraph 5 with proper words. (within 5 words)

　　____________________________________________________________________

4.What are the three effects of smiling on health according to the text. (within 8 words)

Smiling can ___________________________________________________________

 

阅读理解

　　A terrifying example of the sea's power saw about 200,000 people die in 12 different countries last week. The devastation (毁坏) was caused when a massive earthquake sent tsunamis (海啸) smashing into Indian Ocean coastlines.

　　Communities in Sri Lanka. Indonesia, Thailand, India, Malaysia and East Africa have been destroyed by the monster waves. Whole towns were imply swept aside by the power of the water. Cars, trains and buildings could not survive (幸免), let alone the people who stood in the way.

　　The earthquake measured 9.0 on the Richter scale (里氏震级) and occurred off the coast of Indonesia. It was recorded as the fifth strongest since 1900.

　　Scientists said the quake was as powerful as a million of the atomic bombs that were dropped on Japan during World War Ⅱ. “This may be the worst natural disaster in recent history because it is affecting so many heavily populated coastal areas," said Jan Egeland, a UN official.

　　Because such waves rarely happen in the Indian Ocean, there is no system in place to warn coastal communities they are about to be hit.

　　Tsunami is Japanese for “harbour wave.” They are usually caused by a sudden rise or fall of part of the Earth's crust (地壳) under the ocean. Tsunamis often happen in oceans and they are most common in the Pacific. Normally a tsunamis includes a series of waves.

　　Tsunamis can be very long-as much a, 100 kilometres-and be as far as one hour apart. They are able to cross entire oceans without losing much energy. One of the most striking facts about tsunamis is that an earthquake on one side of the Pacific Ocean can cause giant wave, and destruction on the other side.

　　When the ocean is deep, tsunamis can travel unnoticed at speeds of up to 800 kilometres per hour. They can cross the entire ocean in a day or less.

　　The wave may only be a few metres, high in the ocean but when it is near the shore and reaches shallow (浅) water, the wave builds up very quickly in height. Witnesses (目击者) in some areas of Indonesia reported seeing up to 10-metre high waves crash into the shore.

1．We can infer from the passage that fewer people would have died in the South Asian tsunami ________.

[　　]

A．if there had been warning system along the coast

B．if the earthquake had happened off the coast of Thailand

C．if the tsunami had happened in the day time

D．if the tsunami had happened in the deep ocean

2．What surprises people most about the tsunamis is that ________.

[　　]

A．it lasts a long time

B．it travels a long way

C．a tsunamis on one side of the ocean can cause destruction on the other side of the ocean

D．it builds up a high wave

3．Which of the following is NOT true of the South Asian tsunamis?

[　　]

A．It was caused by a serious earthquake off the coast of Indonesia.

B．It was caused by the strongest earthquake in the world.

C．People didn't expect such a strong tsunamis would hit them.

D．It may be the worst natural disaster in recent history.

4．Which of the following is the best title for this article?

[　　]

A．What Is the Tsunami?

B．South Asia Was Hit by the Strongest Earthquake.

C．Mother Nature Displays Anger.

D．A Terrible Disaster.