The long lasting cold current has brought ________ winter in my memory to the east coast of the United States.

A. the longer B. the longest

C. a longer D. a long

—Has James arrived at the hotel?

—No, he ______ by fans for photographs at the airport.

A. has surrounded

B. would surround

C. was surrounded

D. is being surrounded

Different View

At age 14, 15 and 16, the way we looked was the most important thing in the world to us. My friends and I wanted nothing less than perfection.

In high school, we joined the gymnastics team, and our because even more important to us. We had no fat, only muscle. On the weekends, we would go to the beach, of our flat stomachs.

One summer day, all my friends were at my house . At one point, I was running back to the pool. I on a bee, and while it was dying under my foot, it stung (蟄) me. I instantly started to feel . That night, I began to run a high fever and my leg and foot were red, hot and swollen. I couldn’t walk. I could barely .

When my foot started to go numb, everyone became more . My foot was not getting enough blood. I had to go to the , and my leg hurt as if it were badly broken. I couldn’t move. All I could do was think about how soft my middle was becoming. That me more than any concern over my leg.

That would all when I heard the doctors mention possibly cutting off my foot. It was still not getting the supply it needed. The doctors would have to speed up their treatment.

Never before did I have such great for my foot. And walking seemed like a from the gods. Less and less would I want to hear my friends talk about and who was wearing what. More and more I expected visits from other kids in the hospital, who were quickly becoming my friends.

One girl came to visit me . Every time she came, she brought flowers. She was recovering from cancer and felt she should come back and the other patients.

She still had no hair, and she was swollen from medications she had been taking. I would not have given this girl a second before. I now loved every inch of her and looked forward to her .

Finally, I was improving and soon I went home. My leg was still swollen, I was walking, and I had my foot! When I would go back to the hospital, I often saw my friend. She was still visiting people and good cheer. I thought if even there was an angel on this earth, it had to be her.

1.A. grades B. brains C. bodies D. clothes

2.A. ashamed B. proud C. sure D. tired

3.A. dancing B. chatting C. jogging D. swimming

4.A. stepped B. focused C. held D. took

5.A. upset B. fearful C. sick D. anxious

6.A. jump B. run C. stand D. rest

7.A. concerned B. relieved C. surprised D. interested

8.A. beach B. hospital C. gym D. school

9.A. blamed B. impressed C. shocked D. troubled

10.A. change B. bother C. help D. happen

11.A. nutrition B. blood C. time D. air

12.A. observation B. devotion C. appreciation D. evaluation

13.A. gift B. hand C. promise D. treat

14.A. homework B. appointment C. movies D. gymnastics

15.A. suddenly B. regularly C. eventually D. recently

16.A. advise B. encourage C. serve D. instruct

17.A. choice B. thought C. glance D. chance

18.A. words B. ideas C. flowers D. visits

19.A. but B. then C. so D. for

20.A. enjoying B. gaining C. discovering D. spreading

Every day we are exposed to images, videos, music and news. In this age of visual and aural hyper-stimulation, the medium of radio is making a great comeback.

“We’re at the beginning of a golden age of audio,” said US-based podcaster Alex Blumberg in an article in The Sydney Morning Herald. In the last month alone, 15 percent of US adults listened to a radio podcast (播客). These statistics, released by Edison Research, show the successful evolution of traditional radio broadcasts to the present day’s digital podcast format. The term “podcast” was invented in 2004, but the trend only started gaining mainstream popularity in recent years. With the sharp increase in consumer demand for smartphones and tablets, podcast sales have jumped.

The appeal of the podcast partly lies in its multiplatform delivery and on-demand capabilities (功能). You can listen during those extra minutes of the day when you’re walking to the shops, waiting in a queue or riding the subway. Similar to television shows, podcasts are generally free to download and most offer new content every week.

Donna Jackson, 22, Sydney University media graduate, listens to podcasts two or three times a week, via iTurns. “I listen while I’m wandering around the house doing something else. It makes completing a boring task much more enjoyable… And it’s an easy way of keeping in touch with what’s going on in the rest of the world,” she said, “I mainly listen to BBC podcasts, but recently I’ve also been listening to This American Life and Serial. They have a special skill to really draw you in.”

Unlike television and music, the audio format has the potential to create a deep impression on readers. Blumberg says this owes to the podcast’s ability “to create close relationship and emotional connection.” Sydney University undergraduate Hazel Proust, majoring in social work and arts, agrees. “When you’re listening, it feels as if the voice of the podcast’s storyteller is talking directly to you. It’s comforting, ” said Proust.

It seems the age-old tradition of verbal storytelling is very much alive and well.

1.From the first two paragraphs, we can learn that ________.

A. traditional broadcast has come back

B. Americans love listening to the radio

C. podcasts have become very popular today

D. smartphones sell well because of podcasts

2.The writer mentions Donna Jackson mainly to ________.

A. tell how young people relax themselves

B. explain why young people like podcasts

C. introduce what programs podcasts are presenting

D. show how popular podcasts are presenting

3.Paragraph 5 is mainly about ________.

A. the influence of radios

B. the advantage of podcasts

C. readers’ impression on radios

D. people’s reaction to the medium

4.What is probably the best title of the passage?

A. Return of Radio

B. Opinions of Podcast

C. Features of Radio

D. Technology of Podcast

That restaurant is extremely popular, ______ you may have to wait to get a seat.

A. for B. so C. or D. yet

The whole class applauded wildly at the end of the speech, ______ greatly encouraged Bob.

A. what B. where C. which D. when

We are going to the theater tomorrow ______ all the tickets are sold out.

A. when B. unless

C. whether D. because

Most people who enjoy travelling believe that travel ______ not only our bodies but also our minds.

A. benefited B. would benefit

C. has benefited D. benefits

—Have you seen ______ film before?

—Yes. I saw it on ______ Christmas Day, but I can’t remember the exact year.

A. the, a B. a, the

C. a, a D. the, the

A bargain is something offered at a low and advantageous price. A more recent definition is: a bargain is a dirty trick to force money out of the pockets of silly and innocent people.

The cost of producing a new - for example - toothpaste would make 80p the proper price for it, so we will market it at £1.20. It is not a bad toothpaste, and as people like to try new things it will sell well to start with; but the attraction of novelty soon fades, so sales will fall. When that happens we will reduce the price to £1.15. And we will turn it into a bargain by printing 5p OFF all over it.

Sometimes it is not 5p OFF but 1p OFF. What breathtaking rudeness to advertise 1p OFF your soap or washing powder or whatever! Even the poorest old-age pensioner ought to regard this as an insult(侮辱), but he doesn’t. A bargain must not be missed. People say one has to have washing powder (or whatever) and one might as well buy it a penny cheaper.

The real danger starts when unnecessary things become ‘bargains’. Many people just cannot resist bargains. Provided they think they are getting a bargain they will buy clothes they will never wear or furniture they have no space for. Once I heard of a man who bought an electric saw as a bargain and cut off two of his fingers the next day. But he had no regrets: the saw had been truly cheap.

Quite a few people actually believe that they make money on such bargains. A lady once told me: “I’ve had a lucky day today. I bought a dress for £120, reduced from £400; and I bought a beautiful Persian carpet for £600, reduced from £900.” It will never occur to her that she has actually wasted £720. She feels as though she had made £580. She also feels, I am sure, that if she had more time for shopping, she could make a living out of it.

Some people buy in large quantities because it is cheaper. Once a couple bought enough sugar for their lifetime and the lifetime of their children and grandchildren. They thought it a bargain not to be missed. When the sugar arrived they didn’t know where to store it – until they realized that their toilet was a very spacious one. So that was where they piled up their sugar. Not only did their guests feel rather strange whenever they were offered sugar to put into their coffee, but the toilet became extremely sticky.

To offer bargains is a commercial trick to make the poor poorer. When greedy fools fall for this trick, it serves them right.

1.Which word best describes the language style of the passage?

A. Polite. B. Foolish. C. Humorous. D. Serious.

2.What does the underlined word “novelty” in Paragraph 2 probably mean?

A. Good quality. B. Low price.

C. Newness. D. Curiosity.

3.How does the author feel about 1p OFF a product?

A. It’s a gift for poor people.

B. It’s an offense to shoppers.

C. It’s a bargain worth trying.

D. It’s a real reduction in price.

4.Which statement will the author probably agree with?

A. Bargains are things people don’t really need.

B. Bargains are often real cheap products.

C. Bargains help people make a living.

D. Bargains play tricks on people.