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 club. My target was 140 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 old 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 learnt 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’m meant to be and, most of all, I’m happy with it.
Lesley Codwin:
I was very happy at winning Young Slimmer 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 Langfod:
Before moving in with my husband Gavin, I’d always been about 110 pounds, but the pleasant housework went straight to my waist and I put on 15 pounds in a year. Every so often I try to go on a diet… I’m really good in a few days, then end up having the children’s leftovers 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.
【小题1】What do you think the four women were talking about?

Try and see inside your mind a wide open blue sky and a wide green sea far away. Breathe in as you circle your hands high above your head, then bend back a little. Breathe out as you circle your arms back down to your sides..."
Following the yoga teacher's gentle instructions, Bai Yunuo,15, from the High School attached to Beijing Normal University tried to get each of her poses correct.
Bai's school offered 24 elective courses (选修课) for Senor 1 students this term and she chose two. It was her first yoga class.
"I'm happy that I can learn yoga at school. I love dancing but I had some injuries on my knees when I was a kid. So I decide to try something soft. Simply stretching into different poses makes me feel free and quiet. And the music is quite comforting. The class is relaxing after a whole day's work," Bai said.
Liu Zehao,15, found his interest was Junior Achievement (企业经营模拟). The course brought students into the real world of business. In their first class, Liu and his group members named their company "Vision". Liu was elected as CEO of the company.
"Here we learn to think like an adult. We have to make our company get more money. It's new and different from other courses," he said.
Liu and Bai take their elective courses twice a week with students from other classes who share the same interest. The students will get two credits (学分) from each course at the end of this term. They have to achieve eight credit points from electives to graduate from high school.
If you are interested in more about elective courses, please CLICK HERE to register for general elective courses.
【小题1】 What’s the main idea of the first paragraph?

I'm happy that you agreed to work with us again．and I look forward to______you next week．    

I was feeling a little blue. My mother had been laid off from her job, but she said she was OK since her boss wasn't the nicest person   36 .
I got off the college bus and started walking. That's  37  I heard piano music and singing rising above the  38 of the people and the traffic. I walked a little slower  39 I could find out where it was coming from.   40 the crowd I saw a young lady sitting at a piano with a   41 next to her, singing songs about love. The way she was singing  42 me a bit. I stood there watching her   43 for about fifteen minutes, thinking that it must take  44 to perform on her own in public.
Feeling my presence, she looked in my  45 . I walked over and put some money in her carriage. “I have been going through a   46  time lately, but you’re made me hopeful again.”
"I'm happy that I could   47 . Why are you so sad?"
"Well, my mum had got  48 from her job, but I’m not sure what to do….”
"You see, the way you were   49 ," she explained. “Don't look defeated,   50  comes in different ways. If your head is down you might never see it. Smile more ...   51  your head up."
I smiled slightly, amazed by how she was  52 me.
“Why are you playing here?” I asked.
“I am not making music. I study psychology. I often see many  53  people and hope to relieve their   54  and make them think positively by sharing music.”
I smiled a little wider. She was doing a good thing. My heart was touched by a   55 soul.

The 1900 house

  The bowler family was one of more than 400 families who applied to 1900 house, a reality TV shout which took a typical family back a hundred years to se how people lived in the days before the internet, computer games and even electricity.

  The bowler family spent three months in a London home without a telephone, computers, TV, or fast food. The bowlers wore clothes from 1900, are only food available in English at that time, and cooked their meals on a single stove. Paul bowler still went to work every day in a then uniform. The children changed their clothes on the way to and from school and their classmates didn’t know about then unusural home life. Joyce stayed at home, cooking and cleaning like a typical housewife of the time, though everything took three times as long.

 So does Joyce think that people’s lives were better in the old days?

 “I think people in the old days had just ad many troubles and worries,” Joyce said.

And I don’t think their life was better or worse, there were lots of things back then that

I’m happy I don’t have to deal with nowadays, but on the other hand life was simpler.” “We had a lot more time with our family, and it was hard being nice to each other all the time,” eleven-year-old Hilary said.

   So what did the Bowler family miss most about modern life while living in the 1900 house?

   Paul,39:” telephone and a hot shower”

   Joyce,44:” a quick cup of tea from a kettle you could just turn on”

   Hilary,11:” rock CD”

   Joseph,9:” hamburger and computer games”

1.While the Bowler family was living in 1900 house,_____.                         

A the mother spent more time on housework

B the two children wore the then clothes for school

C they prepared their meals together on a stove

D they ate simple foods they had never seen

2. According to Paragraph 4, what’s Jovce’s opinion about life in 1900?              

A There were fewer problems for the family

B Life was simpler but worse than it is now

C There were things she liked and disliked

D The family had more time to stay together

3.What would Hilary expect most from modern life in the three months?            

A To play computer games             B To make phone calls

C To listen to music                  D To chat on the Internet