has been a pleasure.I have never used the computer with the thought that one more task had to be done."
Like most writers, Willa Cather did not write books for the money that they brought her, but rather for
the pleasure that came in their writing.Her works were, like her, simple and full of the vigor of her days in Nebraska, where she grew from child to young womanhood and where she developed a deep love for
the treeless land of the great plain with its wild flowers, wheat fields and rivers.
"It"s a rather strange thing about the flat country, " she wrote later."It takes hold of you or it leaves
you perfectly cold.A great many people find it very dull; they like a church tower, an old factory, a
waterfall, the country all made to look like a German Christmas card ...But when I come to the open
plain, something happens.I"m home.I breathe differently."
1. Willa Cather wrote because she found writing________.
A. simple and lively
B. opened up a road to success
C. neither too hard nor too easy
D. interesting and enjoyable
2. What was the place like where Cather grew up?
A. It was cold, plain and without a church.
B. It was vast, open and flat.
C. It was like a German Christmas card.
D. It was a colorful world of wild flowers.
3. When she said "It takes hold of you or it leaves you perfectly cold.", Willa Cather meant that________.
A. you either love the place or hate it
B. you decide either to stay or to leave
C. some find the place warm; others find it cold
D. some find the place peaceful; others find it wild
4. What happens when Cather comes to the open plain?
A. She breathes differently from others.
B. She wants to make the place her home.
C. She feels completely comfortable.
D. She finds the place similar to her home.
短文填词
Welcome to our class and to our evening party.Here we feel
greatly________(荣幸) to have a good chance to be
with you.First of all, let me say a few words a________
our class.There are 45 students in our class.32 of us are boys,
________the rest are girls.Most of us are studying
English, and we________(通常) spend much
time on it.We often read English________(杂志),
newspapers and watch English programs on TV in our spare
time.We are________(决心) to learn English
well so________to have a better job in the future.
In our program tonight, t________are cross talks,
short plays, group singing, popular songs and so on.I hope you
will enjoy them and________a good time.And of
c________your participation would be appreciated.
Obviously there are some pretty big differences between our behavior and theirs in this respect. Most
Chinese children seem to get whatever they want, from ice creams, sweets and toys to endless attention
from the adults around them. Is this a sort of spoiling or love? I wonder.
Most westerners would think it is a sort of spoiling rather than love. We think love means educating
your children and bringing them up to lead an independent life. That includes learning to accept the fact
that he can"t get everything he wants. As an adult, he will not always get the quite expensive car he hunts
for; she will not always manage to acquire the beautiful dress she longs for. So we try to teach our
children early to cope with the disappointment of not getting what they want.
I find too much such kind of love for the children can actually spoil them. To my surprise, it seems
that the life of a Chinese child is rather hard. Without doubt, the child is the very center of a whole circle
of adults, but on the other hand he or she is also expected to start studying according to adults" wishes.
Many children of my son"s age take piano lessons, painting classes and even English lessons. It looks as
if Chinese adults think that just playing without learning anything is a waste of time. So in this respect our
children appear spoiled, just because they are allowed to play. But without this sort of play how can
Western children develop such free and rich imaginations? In fact the connection between this
imagination and the creativity is so important in the children" s future life.
B. They can play whenever they want.
C. They need not behave themselves.
D. Their demands can always be satisfied.
B. rather easy
C. independent
D. colorful
B. they can have the freedom to play
C. they can take piano lessons
D. they may have expensive toys
B. How to develop kids" imagination
C. What is the real love for children
D. The imagination and creativity
the question, "Who said life was going to be fair, or that it was even meant to be fair?" Her question was
a good one. It reminded me of something I was taught as a youngster:life isn"t fair.It"s a disappointment,
but it"s absolutely true. One of the mistakes many of us make is that we feel sorry for ourselves, or for
others, thinking that life should be fair, or that someday it will be. It"s not and it won"t be.
One of the nice things about surrendering (屈从) to the fact that life isn"t fair is that it keeps us from
feeling sorry for ourselves by encouraging us to do the very best we can with what we have.We know
it"s not "life"s job" to make everything perfect:it"s our own challenge. Surrendering to this fact also keeps
us from feeling sorry for others because we are reminded that everyone is dealt a different hand;
everyone has unique strengths and problems in the process of growing up, facing the reality and making
decisions; and everyone has those times that they feel unfairly treated.
The fact that life isn"t fair doesn"t mean we shouldn"t do everything in our power to improve our own
lives or the world as a whole. To the contrary, it suggests that we should. When we don"t recognize or
admit that life isn"t fair, we tend to feel pity for others and for ourselves. Pity, of course, is a selfdefeating
emotion that does nothing for anyone, except to make everyone feel worse than they already do. When
we do recognize that life isn"t fair, however, we feel compassion (热情) for others and for ourselves.
And compassion is a heartfelt emotion that delivers lovingkindness to everyone it touches. The next time
you find yourself thinking about the injustices of the world, try reminding yourself of this very basic fact.
You may be surprised that it can make you out of selfpity and into helpful action.
B. it made him recall something during his childhood
C. like his friend, he also thought life was unfair
D. he learned something from the question as a youngster
B. it"s nice to surrender to life
C. we should not feel sorry for everything
D. we should not surrender to life
B. positive
C. selfpity
D. indifferent
B. A Good Question: Why Life Isn"t Fair
C. Do Our Best to Improve Ourselves
D. Surrender to the Fact That Life Isn"t Fair
your ticket, pack your bags and show up at the airport with your passport. You board the plane and
several cocktails and movies later, you arrive at your destination. People are becoming more aware of
their smart travel. Here are some tips on how to be a clever traveler.
Easy checkin
Avoid the queue and check yourself in by using the MAS Web CheckIn (malaysiaairlines.com) in
the comfort of your own home or office. Passengers can now check in online anytime from 24 hours to
90 minutes ahead of the scheduled departure time (出发时间). This is available for flights departing
from all MAS stations-except Paris, Kunming, Xiamen and Bandar Seri Begawan-to all MAS
destinations. You can even select preferred seats online.
Bag hygiene (卫生)
No, we"re not talking about the cleanliness of your bags!It"s aviation talk for a bag that doesn"t carry
any old baggage tags (标签) with barcodes (条码) that could confuse the baggage sensor (探测装置).
If you find yourself arriving in Sydney while your bag lands in Tokyo, it could be because of your old
baggage tag. Another reason why bags go missing could be the printing quality of the barcodes; bags
are misdirected because the sensors can"t read the codes correctly.
Less is more
Most airports around the world now set a weight limit of 32kg per piece of baggage. This will not
only help protect the airline workers" health, it will also be easier for you to carry your bags around.
Avoid packing dangerous goods or placing valuables inside your checkin luggage. Ensure that locks are
properly secured as a lot of baggage locks are found caught between the conveyor belts.
Smaller and softer bags are usually placed inside a tray at checkin to protect the locks from contact with
the conveyor belt.
B. in a fashionable way
C. in a neat and orderly way
D. in a cheap and safe way
B. have to check in 24 hours earlier
C. are required to check in on the MAS Web
D. can select their favorite seats when getting aboard
a. The bags are too old and dirty.
b. The sensors can"t read the barcodes correctly.
c. The old tag is still on your bag.
d. The bags are too heavy to check in.
B. b; c
C. c; d
D. b; d
B. a science report
C. a passage for professional reading
D. a passage from a magazine
Traditionally, customers may consider more about what they buy the product for. However, the image
of product and the consuming circumstance have become the key points to attract customers"awareness
and stimulate their buying needs. Frequently, customers buy goods just because they are cute, lovely and
unique. With a less emphasis on functional utilities, the experience and imaginative space are placed into
an increasingly important role. The image of product is emphasized, as well as the communication between
products and consumers."Customer behavior, which appears to be focused and directed at the object
and at pleasure, in fact responds to quite different objectives:displaced expression of desire, and the
production of a code of social values through the use of differential signs"(Baudrillard). The reason for
imageoriented customer behavior is probably that customers"lifestyle has been continuously virtualized by
paying much attention to "Virtual Reality". The evidences can be traced from computer games and
Hollywood movies, in which customers"preference for fleeing reality is perfectly matched.
This change requires us to take efforts to enhance product image by integrating style, color, taste,
shape and material, and communicate with customers creatively, imaginatively and innovatively, and enable
them to enjoy the distinctive experience image brings."A need is not a need for a particular object as much
as it is a"need"for difference." (Baudrillard) The typical example is Apple Computer"s IMAC, which has
strong visual impact and outstanding dynamics. By this way, customer relationship can be set up through
image, and brand can be treated as living that can transform people. Other examples commonly used are
Disney Fairyland and Las Vegas, where new experience and imagination are fully demonstrated. In sum,
consumption is negotiation, a neverending conversation held in the languages of advertising, packaging,
branding, fashion, and entertainmet.
More Attention to the Image of Product