Peanuts to This

Proudly reading my words, I glanced around the room, only to find my classmates bearing big smiles on their faces and tears in their eyes.Confused, I glanced toward my stone­faced teacher.Having no choice, I slowly raised the report I had slaved over, hoping to hide myself.“What could be causing everyone to act this way？”

Quickly, I flashed back to the day Miss Lancelot gave me the task.This was the first real task I received in my new school.It seemed simple: go on the Internet and find information about a man named George Washington.Since my idea of history came from an ancient teacher in my home country, I had never heard of that name before.As I searched the name of this fellow, it became evident that there were two people bearing the same name who looked completely different! One invented hundreds of uses for peanuts, while the other led some sort of army across America.I stared at the screen, wondering which one my teacher meant.I called my grandfather for a golden piece of advice：flip(掷) a coin.Heads—the commander, and tails—the peanuts guy. Ah! Tails, my report would be about the great man who invented peanut butter, George Washington Carver.

Weeks later, standing before this unfriendly mass, I was totally lost.Oh well, I lowered the paper and sat down at my desk, burning to find out what I had done wrong.As a classmate began his report, it all became clear, “My report is on George Washington，the man who started the American Revolution.”The whole world became quiet! How could I know that she meant that George Washington?

Obviously, my grade was awful.Heartbroken but fearless, I decided to turn this around.I talked to Miss Lancelot, but she insisted: No re­dos; no new grade.I felt that the punishment was not justified, and I believed I deserved a second chance.Consequently, I threw myself heartily into my work for the rest of the school year.Ten months later, that chance unfolded as I found myself sitting in the headmaster's office with my grandfather, now having an entirely different conversation.I smiled and flashed back to the embarrassing moment at the beginning of the year as the headmaster informed me of my option to skip the sixth grade.Justice is sweet!

16．What did the author's classmates think about his report?

A．Controversial.  B．Ridiculous.

C．Boring.  D．Puzzling.

17．Why was the author confused about the task?

A．He was unfamiliar with American history.

B．He followed the advice and flipped a coin.

C．He forgot his teacher's instruction.

D．He was new at the school.

18．The underlined word “burning” in Para.3 probably means ________．

A．annoyed  　B．ashamed  　C．ready  D．eager

19．In the end, the author turned things around ________．

A．by redoing his task

B．through his own efforts

C．with the help of his grandfather

D．under the guidance of his headmaster

It was Friday, the day of the field trip on which Miss Joan would take her class to pick apples.

Miss Joan enjoyed picking apples with her students. She smiled as she led her students to the bus that would take them to the Greenly Apple Orchard（果园）.

The bus ride was bumpy(颠簸的) and the kids were a little noisy, but still Miss Joan was smiling.

The bus stopped in front of the Greenly Apple Orchard and the class got off quickly and quietly. Miss Joan made sure everyone was there. “What a glorious, sunny, apple picking day,” Miss Joan announced with her grandest smile.

Mr. Greenly was there to greet them. “Let’s see, there are eighteen children and two adults at three dollars each. That will be sixty dollars, please.”

Miss Joan held up the brochure in her hand. “It says that the price is two dollars each,” she pointed out. “That’s what I collected from everyone.”

“We’ve had to raise the price,” Mr. Greenly stated.

“You sent me this brochure after we made our reservation,” Miss Joan complained, “and it says two dollars!”

“Miss Joan, if you look at the bottom of this brochure,” Mr. Greenly said, “you’ll notice very important statement.”

Sure enough, in very tiny letters, it said, “Prices are subject to change without notice.”

Miss Joan was determined to keep her good mood. She took a twenty dollars bill out of her own purse and handed it to Mr. Greenly with the forty dollars she had in an envelope.

“Now children, do you all have your baskets?” Miss Joan called out. “Remember, each of you can pick as many apples as possible.”

Mr. Greenly said, “You can’t pick as many apples as possible.”

“I beg your pardon!” Miss Joan was not smiling now. “The brochure says, ‘ALL YOU CAN PICK’!”

Mr. Greenly pointed to the tiniest letters Miss Joan had ever almost seen. It also says, “Terms(条款) and conditions of group reservations are subject to change without notice.”

Miss Joan’s good mood was now history. She didn’t want to set a bad example for her students, so she said in a calm and quiet voice, “We’re going home, give me our money back, please.”

60. The phrase“subject to change without notice” suggests________．

A. Mr. Greenly could change the terms at will

B. the customers should read the brochure carefully

C. Mr. Greenly could determine what apples to be picked

D. the customers should be informed beforehand

61. The students could not pick as many apples as they would like because________.

A. they were children                 B. there were not enough apples

C. they had made a group reservation   D. they would eat up too many apples

62.“Miss Joan’s good mood was now history” (the last paragraph) means ________.

　  A. Miss Joan had been happy until that moment

　  B. Miss Joan was no longer interested in history

　  C. Miss Joan taught her students the history of the orchard

　  D. Miss Joan was good at concealing her feelings

63. What can we learn about Miss Joan from the story?

A. She did not read the brochure carefully.

B. She made a reservation after seeing the brochure.

C. She lost her temper in the end.     

D. She didn’t know how to complain.

   

It is in Qingdao _____ you' re going to pay a visit to ______this kind of washing machine is  produced.

A./;  that      　   B.where; which 　　C./ ; where        D.that ; which

 

For many businessmen online education has been a dream．Now it has come true．The investment （投资） in higher education, whether financial or in terms of time, has long been impossible for many of them．But well-known educational institutions have chosen to deliver an internet-based program, and these barriers(障碍) have been lifted．

　　That is good news for people eager to improve themselves and is more attractive to employers．It is also a benefit to industry with better qualified candidates（候选人） applying for jobs at every level．

　　Having the benefits of a higher qualification（资格） without going to the university campus is attractive to many students．Campus study means greater cost, while online programs are flexible and save time, whether at home or at work．Students can achieve their degrees without causing too much disruption to their career or home life．

　　In addition to affordable, flexible（灵活） classes and greater convenience, students also have access to the online learning resources of many of the world’s top educational institutions．They can also communicate with their tutors no matter what time it is or whether either party is away for any reason．

　　This has opened up the possibility of getting a qualification from a university or college that many students could only have dreamed of in the past．It also allows specialists to get the precise qualifications and focus on their studies．As well as seeing the increase of applicants from lower-incomes and housewives, studying online in the US is even becoming popular with younger people of college age．

　　Employers have become increasingly welcome and positive to online qualifications as more candidates earn them, especially if they’re properly approved by the US Department of Education．

　　US institutions have led the way in online education provision（供给）．Many top US colleges and universities offer a range of online programs that are highly respected and in every way perfectly fit for adults who need to combine their studies with a working life．

1.According to Paragraph 1, many US colleges and universities ______．

A．have begun to lift the barriers to financial investment

B．have begun to run an internet-based program

C．have had a dream of offering online education

D．have gained financial investment

2.Why do people choose online education?

A．They can find jobs more easily than on-campus graduates．

B．They can get qualifications from US Department of Education．

C．They can save money and arrange their time and courses freely．

D．They can invest money in different courses provided online．

3.The underlined word “disruption” in the third paragraph probably mean ______．

A．dissatisfaction 　        B．attention 　C．attraction 　　　 D．interruption

4.Which would be a good title for the passage?

A．Adult Education Online

B．Online Education Taking the Place of Campus Education

C．Top US Universities Offering Online Education

D．The Best of USA’s Online Education

 

HELP PROTECT AUSTRALIA
Food, plant material and animal products from overseas — including many common souvenirs(纪念品) — could introduce some of the world's most serious pests (害虫) and diseases into Australia. Failing to declare quarantine items (要检疫的物件) on arrival could destroy our agriculture, tourism industries and natural environment.
Declare (申报)Or Be on Your Guard You must declare for inspection (检查) all food, plant material and animal products to check that they are free of pests and diseases.	Every piece of luggage is now screened or. x-rayed on arrival in Australia. If you fail to declare or get rid of any quarantine items, or make a false declaration:： ☆you will get caught; ☆you could be accused (指控) and fined more than A$60,000 and risk up to 10 years imprisonment(监禁); ☆you could be fined over A$200 on the spot. If you're not sure about items you are carrying,　ask a quarantine officer.

 
【小题1】Why are you asked to declare quarantine items on arrival?

A．They could contain some drugs inside.

B．They can’t be carried into Australia free of charge.

C．They are often the cause of various crimes.

D．They may carry pests or diseases into Australia.

【小题2】Which of the following items need you NOT declare if you have them in your  luggage?

A．A bottle of honey.	B．Dried flowers.
C．A hair-drier.	D．Wooden chopsticks.

【小题3】If you don’t declare quarantine items, ______.

A．you can probably get away with them

B．you will be discovered and punished

C．you can turn to the customs officers for help

D．you can give them away to a quarantine officer

【小题4】 Which of the following information can also be included in this notice?

A．Inspection equipment.	B．Size of your luggage.
C．Examples of quarantine items.	D．Souvenirs you can buy here