Saving money gives you freedom. If you have enough savings you may be able to give up your job. I know a couple (夫妻) who saved up   1  money that they were able to leave their   2  for a year, and travel across the country. You could see the wonderful experiences they had   3 they were able to enjoy that time together.
Saving money is improving your   4  life. It is important to realize that   5  saving money now you will be able to do so many more things in your later years. You can retire early and spend time   6  around the world. By saving money now, you will be able to do as   7  things as you like and enjoy a good life.
Saving money will bring you peace of mind. Every dollar that you have in the bank is a dollar, which stands between you and disaster. People who have savings are not   8  when a car breaks down, or someone becomes sick. They know that they will be okay if they lose a job, and it takes time to find a new   9 .
Saving money sets an example for your children. By teaching your children to save money and plan for the future, you are in control of where you spend your money, and what you do   10  it. It may be one of the most important ideas that you teach your children.

It is widely accepted that television is playing an important part in people's lives. But, there is a heated discussion as to whether television does good or harm.

Television keeps one learning more about present events, allows one to follow the most re­cent developments in politics and science, and offers various programs which are .both instructive and exciting. The most distant countries, the strangest customs and the most attractive scenes of nature are brought right into one's room or house.

However, some people insist that television is bad rather than good. They argue that it has brought about many serious problems. The major one is its effects on young people. Children are now so used to getting their information and entertainment from television that their ability to read and write as well as physical ability has been greatly weakened. Even worse than that, vulgar( 庸俗的) advertisements and poor programs may develop their bad tastes, shape their view points badly towards human life to such a degree that their minds might be destroyed.

In a word, television has both advantages and disadvantages. Whatever effects it has, one point is certain, television in itself is neither good nor bad. It is the use to which it is put that decides its value to society.

1.What are people discussing nowadays?

___________________________________

2.What are the advantages television has brought us ? (至少2点)

___________________________________

3.Why do some people think television is bad rather than good?

___________________________________

4.It is the use to which it is put that decides its value to society. ___________________________________

5.What's your opinion about television?

It can be dangerous to travel by sea. Ships sometimes sink(下沉) far away from land. When this happens, the sailors(海员) have to get into small boats. If another ship does not come and help them and they do not have enough food or water, they will die.
Most people believe we must not drink sea water. They believe that if we do, we shall be very ill because of all the salt in the water. A doctor called Alain Bombard did not believe this. He thought that people could stay alive by drinking sea water and eating small fish, animals and plants from the sea. On 19 October 1953, he set out in a small boat to cross the Atlantic Ocean(大西洋). He did not take any food or water with him.
Every day Dr. Bombard drank just a little sea water. He also caught fish and they had water in them. He drank this water. He could not cook the fish, so he ate them as they were. He took small plants from the sea, which gave him more food.
Dr. Bombard became hot, tired and quite ill, but after 65days at sea he was still alive. He traveled 2,750 miles from one side of the Atlantic Ocean to the other, and on 24th,December 1953, he reached Barbados.
He lost 20 kilos, but he showed that people could live on sea water, the animals and plants in the sea.
【小题1】Alain Bombard was ______.

Have successful people ever felt sad? Do they have any “secrets” to success? The answers to these questions can be found in US president Barack Obama’s “back to school” speech. Here is an excerpt(摘录) from his speech.
I know that sometimes, you get the sense that you can be rich and successful without any hard work—that your ticket to success is through rapping (饶舌音乐) or basketball or being a TV star, when chances are, you’re not going to be any of those things.
But the truth is, being successful is hard. You won’t love every subject you study. Not all the homework will seem completely important to your life right this minute. And you may not succeed at everything the first time you try.
That’s OK. Some of the most successful people in the world are the ones who’ve had the most failures. JK Rowling’s first Harry Potter book was turned down 12 times before it finally came out. Michael Jordan was cut from his high school basketball team, and he lost hundreds of games and missed thousands of shots (投篮) during his career. But he once said, “I have failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed.”
These people succeeded because they understand that you can’t let your failures beat you—you have to let them teach you. You have to let them show you what to do differently next time.
No one’s born being good at things. You become good at things through hard work.
Don’t be afraid to ask questions. Don’t be afraid to ask for help when you need it. I do that every day. Asking for help isn’t a sign of weakness; it’s a sign of strength. It shows you have the courage to admit(承认) when you don’t know something, and to learn something new.
And even when you’re struggling, even when you’re discouraged (泄气), and you feel like other people have given up on you—don’t ever give up on yourself. Because when you give up on yourself, you give up on your country.
【小题1】Why does Barack Obama mention (提到) JK Rowling and Michael Jordan in the fourth paragraph?

Have successful people ever felt sad? Do they have any “secrets” to success? The answers to these questions can be found in US president Barack Obama’s “back to school” speech. Here is an excerpt(摘录) from his speech.

I know that sometimes, you hope that you can be rich and successful without any hard work—that your ticket to success is through pop music or basketball or being a TV star, when chances come, you’re not going to be any of those things.

But the truth is, being successful is hard. You won’t love every subject you study. Not all the homework will seem rather important to your life ,but you should try your best. And you may not succeed at everything the first time you try.

That’s OK. Some of the most successful people in the world are the ones who’ve had the most failures (the opposite of success). JK Rowling’s first Harry Potter book was turned down 12 times before it finally came out. Michael Jordan was cut from his high school basketball team, and he lost hundreds of games and missed thousands of shots (投篮) during his career. But he once said, “I have failed over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed.”

These people succeeded because they understand that you can’t let your failures beat(打败) you—you have to let them teach you. You have to let them show you what to do differently next time.

No one’s born being good at things. You become good at things through hard work.

Don’t be afraid to ask questions. Don’t be afraid to ask for help when you need it. I do that every day. Asking for help isn’t a sign of weakness; it’s a sign of strength. It shows you have the courage to tell when you don’t know something, and to learn something new.

And even when you’re struggling(奋斗), even when you’re discouraged (泄气), and you feel other people have given up on you.but you should remember, don’t ever give up on yourself. Because when you give up on yourself, you give up on your country.

1.Some of the most successful people in the world have are the ones who’ve had the______ failures.

A. fewest       B. most          C. saddest        D. valuable

2.What can be found in US president Barack Obama’s “back to school” speech ?

A. secrets to success.

B. being successful is easy. 

C. your failures beat you.

D. Asking for help is a sign of weakness.

3.Why does Barack Obama mention (提到) JK Rowling and Michael Jordan in the third paragraph?

A. To compare these two famous persons.

B. To explain that the more failures he has, the more successful he is.

C. If you want to be successful, you should fail first.

D. To show that failure is the mother of success.

4.Which of the following statements is NOT true?

A. No one can be successful without working hard.

B. Failure can be good if you treat it in a right way.

C. Those who believe in themselves shouldn’t ask others for help.

D. One should try his best to make his dream come true.

5.Which of the following has the closest meaning to the underlined sentence?

A. One shouldn’t ask questions because it is a sign of strength.

B. One should believe in himself though he will face much difficulty.

C. One doesn’t have to work hard when he has failed several times.

D. One doesn’t have to ask for help because it is a sign of weakness.