I wish there would be a way to describe China in simple terms but that’s impossible. For the most part Chinese people are friendly, easy-going and optimistic. They are curious and unusually patient and they are also the hardest-working people I have ever met.

In China, family is everything. In my English classes when the students were asked what they would do if they only had a few hours to live, most students told me how they would spend their last few hours with their families and parents. Many times the subjects in the classes center on families and friends. I teach many students a year, talking to them freely.

The cost of living here is very low compared with that of the US. The city of Xiang Fan I live in isn’t large and I live better. Non-imported(非出口的) foods are very cheap, so are clothing and articles of everyday use. The cost of public transportation is very low, too. Chinese value education. However, it is reported that many children can’t afford the expenses of schooling and are forced to leave school in some poor area in China. But they organized Project Hope many years age. It creates conditions for the poor children to go back to school. In my opinion, Project Hope is of great importance to the development of the rural education.

When we read news of China in the west, rarely, if ever, will we see anything mentioned of the positive changes China has gone through. While it is true that economic miracles have not reached many areas of China, but we also have the same problems.

When I am asked which country I consider better. China or the US, my answer has always been the same, “We are not worse or better than each other, we are only different.”

1.What does the author think of Chinese people?

A. He thinks most Chinese people hardly work.

B. He thinks most Chinese people are proud.

C. He praises most Chinese people a lot.

D. He dislikes most Chinese people.

2.What is the author doing in China?

A. He is visiting the places of interest.

B. He is teaching English in a school.

C. He is studying in a college.

D. He is on business.

3.What are not cheap in China in the author’s opinion?

A. Clothes and shoes made in China.        B. Local foods

C. Public transportation tickets.            D. Imported foods

4.We can infer from the passage that the author thinks________.

A. the westerners have got to know China well

B. China’s economic miracles have appeared everywhere

C. the progress of China is seldom reported in the US

D. the education in rural areas is never cared about in China

5.In the author’s eyes,________.

A. China is different from the US

B. China is better than the US

C. Americans are richer than Chinese

D. China bears great similarities to the US

 

“Mom, can I take some bread?” We were 15; my best friend, Hanna, and I, determined to try our hands at creating some beautiful bread.

“It’s not worth the trouble,” my mother said. “It takes lots of time and makes a big mess. Our bakery bread is delicious without all that effort.”

Begging was useless. Mom’s “no” meant “No!”

But several weeks later, opportunity knocked. My parents were going out for the evening. I immediately invited Hanna to be my partner in bread-baking crime.

We studied the recipe. That was easy. “Mix oil into flour then beat in four eggs, one at a time, with remaining sugar and salt.”

We were not good at breaking eggs. I tried to learn from my mother.

“Gradually add eight cups of flour. When dough (面團(tuán)) holds together, squeeze it.”

We took turns working like that. “Is the dough ‘holding together’?” we asked each other.

I remembered my neighbor’s instructions: “If it’s too sticky, add some flour; if too dry, add water.”

We added water. Then more flour. Then more water. By then, the mass of our dough had grown very much.

“Place dough on floured surface and squeeze till smooth,” the recipe instructed.

We took turns burying our hands in the damp dough, pinching, squeezing, and feeling it leak between fingers. “Clean and oil bowl, and then return dough to bowl. Cover and let dough rise in a warm place for one hour.”

This was good news—we’d have a break. On the dirty kitchen chairs, we dreamed about our beautiful bread. “See?” we would tell my mom. “Isn’t it worth the work?”

Hanna and I couldn’t help glancing at the rising process every few minutes. But nothing happened.

“Maybe something will happen in the hot oven,” I said.

Unfortunately, when we removed the loaves from the oven, they were like hard stones.

Mom was right; it takes time and effort. It sometimes makes a mess. But still it feels good, somehow, to be part of that long, ongoing chain of bread bakers. Since that night, both Hanna and I have learned to do it right.

1. To the writer, what her mother said was _________.

A. law                   B. rubbish                     C. advice               D. warning

2. Which of the following can best describe the children’s feelings while making their first bread?

       A. Confident; hopeful; disappointed

B. Curious; hopeful; disappointed

       C. Interested; excited; satisfied

D. Worried; satisfied; proud

3. Which of the following did the writer do without referring to the instructions?

       A. Placed dough on floured surface.

       B. Added eight cups of flour to eggs.

       C. Returned dough to a cleaned bowl.

       D. Placed the dough into the hot oven.

4. The passage mainly tells us ___________.

       A. the process of making bread

       B. the conflict between mother and daughter

       C. the first experience of making bread

       D. the way of doing housework

Matches made over the Internet often do not last long because people end up choosing unsuitable partners and forming emotional bonds before meeting face-to-face, an Australian university researcher has found.

Women were especially susceptible (易于) to finding Mr. Wrong, as they send to be attracted by witty (巧妙) comments or clever emails, said psychologist Matthew Bambling from the Queensland University of Technology.

"You can never assume things are the way they seem online," Bambling said. "Just because they can write a clever comment or a witty email, doesn' t mean they will be Mr. Right, that' s for sure," he said, adding some men use the concept of  "netting," sending emails to dozens of women and hoping one might respond.

Bambling said you can find a partner online, but warned those using the Web to find love to be aware of the traps.

"There's definitely a disinhibition (失控) affect online," he said, with people more likely to exaggerate their good points while hiding anything negative.

"Few guys for example would say ' look, I' m a middle aged alcoholic who's been married five times, pick me'. They're going to present themselves as a good catch. "

He said it was easy for people to quickly invest too much emotionally in an online relationship because they don' t see the full picture of the person they are emailing.

Bambling said people can avoid many of the problems by meeting early in the actual relationship, rather than by getting to know each other only by email.

He suggests couples arrange to meet over coffee after a few emails, which will help people from building up a fantasy image of their match.

"The main thing to remember is to make real life contact as soon as possible if you are interested in someone, because then you will know if a relationship is a possibility," he said.

72. Bambling suggests we should be ________ about the online relationship.

A. rejective           B. favorable                 C. cautious                    D. acceptable

73. The underlined word "exaggerate" in paragraph 6 probably means "        ".

A. enlarge                     B. invent              C. remove                  D. cover

74. What is suggested by Bambling for a better online relationship?

A. Writing clever comments or emails to girls frequently.

B. Finding a partner online through one night respond.

C. Making real life contact before further development.

D. Investing much more emotion in your partner.

75. Which of the following will be a suitable tide?

A. Online love, blind and brief                          B. Convenient way to find love

C. Real love online                                    D. Dangerous online relationship

Some years ago I was offered a writing assignment that would require three months of travel through Europe. I had been abroad a couple of times，but I could hardly claim to know my way around the continent. Moreover, my knowledge of foreign languages was limited to a little college French.
I hesitated. How would I, unable to speak the language, totally unfamiliar with local geography or transportation systems, set up interviews and do research? It seemed impossible, and with considerable regret. I sat down to write a letter begging off. Halfway through, a thought ran through my mind： you can't learn if you don't try. So I accepted the assignment.
There were some bad moments. But by the time I had finished the trip I was an experienced traveler. And ever since，I have never hesitated to head for even the most remote of places，without guides or even advanced bookings, confident that somehow I will manage.
The point is that the new, the different, is almost scary by definition. But each time you try something, you learn, and as the learning piles up, the world opens to you.
I've learned to ski at 40, and flown up the Rhine River in a balloon. And I know I'll go on doing such things. It's not because I'm braver or more daring than others. I'm not. But I'll accept anxiety as another name for challenge and I believe I can accomplish wonders.
【小題1】The author accepted the assignment because _____

A． he had never travelled abroad before

B． he hardly knew any foreign languages

C． he was familiar with any other country in Europe

D． he would learn something new and different by trying

【小題2】Which of the following statements is TRUE?

A． The author had been abroad only twice.

B． The author thought the trip was hard but worthwhile.

C． The author admitted that anything different was terrible.

D． The author must be good at doing research and making interviews.

【小題3】We can infer from the text that the author is  _____.

A．a(chǎn)wkward

B．generous

C．stubborn

D．brave

【小題4】What's the best title of the text?

A．An Interesting Trip Abroad	B．My First Writing Assignment
C．Ready to Try and Challenge	D．How to Be Daring and Brave

Some years ago I was offered a writing assignment that would require three months of travel through Europe. I had been abroad a couple of times，but I could hardly claim to know my way around the continent. Moreover, my knowledge of foreign languages was limited to a little college French.

I hesitated. How would I, unable to speak the language, totally unfamiliar with local geography or transportation systems, set up interviews and do research? It seemed impossible, and with considerable regret. I sat down to write a letter begging off. Halfway through, a thought ran through my mind： you can't learn if you don't try. So I accepted the assignment.

There were some bad moments. But by the time I had finished the trip I was an experienced traveler. And ever since，I have never hesitated to head for even the most remote of places，without guides or even advanced bookings, confident that somehow I will manage.

The point is that the new, the different, is almost scary by definition. But each time you try something, you learn, and as the learning piles up, the world opens to you.

I've learned to ski at 40, and flown up the Rhine River in a balloon. And I know I'll go on doing such things. It's not because I'm braver or more daring than others. I'm not. But I'll accept anxiety as another name for challenge and I believe I can accomplish wonders.

1.The author accepted the assignment because _____

A． he had never travelled abroad before

B． he hardly knew any foreign languages

C． he was familiar with any other country in Europe

D． he would learn something new and different by trying

2.Which of the following statements is TRUE?

A． The author had been abroad only twice.

B． The author thought the trip was hard but worthwhile.

C． The author admitted that anything different was terrible.

D． The author must be good at doing research and making interviews.

3.We can infer from the text that the author is  _____.

A．a(chǎn)wkward

B．generous

C．stubborn

D．brave

4.What's the best title of the text?

A．An Interesting Trip Abroad	B．My First Writing Assignment
C．Ready to Try and Challenge	D．How to Be Daring and Brave