When I was a kid in Minnesota, watermelon was expensive. One of my father’s friends, Bernie, was a rich businessman, who owned a large store in St. Paul.
Every summer, when the first watermelons arrived, Bernie would call. Dad and I would go to Bernie’s place. We’ d sit on the edge of the dock（码头）, feet dangling（摇晃）, and got ready for a big meal.
Bernie would take his knife, cut our first watermelon, hand us both a big piece and sit down next to us. Then we’d bury our faces in watermelon, eating only the heart—the reddest, juiciest, firmest, sweetest, most seed-free part—and throw away the rest.
Bernie was my father’s idea of a rich man. I always thought it was because he was such a successful businessman. Years later, I realized that it was not Bernie’s wealth itself but his way of dealing with it that my father liked. Bernie knew how to stop working, get together with friends and eat only the heart of the watermelon.
What I learned from Bernie is that being rich is a state of mind. Some of us, no matter how much money we have, will never be free enough to eat only the heart of the watermelon. If you don’t take the time to dangle your feet over the dock and enjoy life’s small pleasure, your work is probably hurting your life.
For many years, I forgot that lesson I’d learned as a kid on the loading dock. I was too busy making all the money I could.
Well, I’ve relearned it. I hope I have time left to enjoy the success of others and to take pleasure in the day. That’s the heart of the watermelon. I have learned again to throw the rest away.
【小题1】 We learned from the second paragraph that the writer and his father were feeling ______.

A．relaxed

B．worried

C．hungry

D．proud

【小题2】How did the writer and his father eat the watermelon?

A．They ate it in a polite way.	B．They only ate its best part.
C．They ate every part of it.	D．They shared only one piece.

【小题3】 In the eyes of the writer’s father, Bernie ______.

A．was just a rich businessman	B．worked hard all the time
C．lived a rich but healthy life	D．knew how to make money

【小题4】The underlined part “the heart of the watermelon” in the last paragraph refers to ______.

A．the best part of the watermelon	B．the writer’s busy life
C．the writer’s decision of making money	D．the writer’s hope of enjoying life

【小题5】It can be learned from the passage that ______.

A．one has to work hard to reach his goal	B．a friend in need is a friend in deed
C．watermelon is the healthiest fruit	D．one should keep work-life balance

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阅读下列短文，根据短文中的信息完成文后表格。（每空一词）

Minoru Yamasaki was a well-known American architect (建筑师). He was born in 1912 in Seattle, Washington. Minoru went to college to study architecture. Every summer he worked in a fish factory to help pay for college. He slept in a room with 100 other men.

Yamasaki sometimes dreamed about his work. Once he woke up at three o’clock in the morning. He remembered a building that was in his dream. He got up and started to draw.   

Yamasaki was different from other architects. His buildings give people a feeling of peace and happiness. Many of his designs have pools of water, flowers, and windows on the roof to let in light. He wanted to give them a place away from the busy ways of modern life.

Yamasaki worked for several companies. But his success began when he started his own company. In 1956, he won the Architect’s First Honor Award for his design of an airport in St. Louis, Missouri. He won two more awards over the next five years. In 1962, he designed the World Trade Center in New York. In 1993, a bomb exploded (炸弹爆炸) in it. But the buildings did not fall down because they had a good design.

Yamasaki had strong opinions about his buildings. They had to be built his way. He refused to change the design of his buildings, even if he lost a job.

Minoru Yamasaki died on Jun,2 1986. He designed more than 300 buildings. People will enjoy the design and beauty of his buildings for a very long time.

The title            A     1    American architect

Be born              In   2  in Seattle, Washington

In college           Studied  architecture  in college

                  Worked in a fish factory to  3  for college

                     4   a room with 100 other men

His design of buildings Made people feel   5  and happy

                  Had   6 opinions about his buildings

                  The World Trade Center didn’t fall down after a bomb explosion

Successful  career    Was not the   7   as other architects

                  Didn’t begin his successful career    8  he started his own company

                  Won    9   Awards for his famous design before 1962 and designed over 300 buildings in his life

     Date of  10        Died on Jun,2  1986

 

An Englishman was showing a foreign visitor around London. “What’s that strange building?” asked the visitor. “That’s the Tower of London.” “I see. How long did it take to build it?” “About 500 years.” “In my country we can build it in five months,” Shortly after that they came to St. Paul’s Cathedral(大教堂). “Very interesting!” said the visitor. “How long did it take to build it ?” “Near forty years.” said the Englishman. “In my country we can finish it in forty days at most,” said the visitor. This went on all day.
They visited most of the best known buildings in the city. Every time they saw a new one, the visitor asked what it was and how long it took to build it. Then he said that they could do the same thing much faster in his country.
At last the Englishman got angry with the visitor though he tried not to show it. Several days later they came to the House of Parliament(议会)and the visitor asked his usual question, “What is that?” The Englishman answered, “ I have no idea. It wasn’t there last night.”
【小题1】The Englishman showed the foreign visitor around _______ one day.

A．The Tower of London	B．St. Paul’s Cathedral
C．Some famous buildings in the city	D．The whole city of London

【小题2】The visitor said that in his country it would take them ______ to build the Tower of London.

A．less than half a year

B．forty days

C．five hundred years

D．fifty days

【小题3】It took them a few days to see ______.

A．some of the best known buildings in England.	B．several best known places in England
C．many famous houses in the city of London	D．most of the best known buildings in London

【小题4】The Englishman was angry by the end of the day, but he ______.

A．didn’t want to say anything	B．tried to show it to the visitor
C．had no time to tell the visitor	D．tried not to show it to the visitor

【小题5】The Englishman’s answer to the question of the last place showed_____.

A．he was sorry that he hadn’t seen the building before

B．he could say nothing because he didn’t know anything about it

C．he was angry and didn’t want to tell the visitor its name

D．he didn’t know how to tell the visitor the name of the building

When I was a kid in Minnesota, watermelon was expensive. One of my father’s friends, Bernie, was a rich businessman, who owned a large store in St. Paul.
Every summer, when the first watermelons arrived, Bernie would call. Dad and I would go to Bernie’s place. We’d sit on the edge of the dock（码头）, feet dangling（摇晃）, and got ready for a big meal.
Bernie would take his knife, cut our first watermelon, hand us both a big piece and sit down next to us. Then we’d bury our faces in watermelon, eating only the heart—the reddest, juiciest, firmest, sweetest, most seed-free part—and throw away the rest.
Bernie was my father’s idea of a rich man. I always thought it was because he was such a successful businessman. Years later, I realized that it was not Bernie’s wealth itself but his way of dealing with it that my father liked. Bernie knew how to stop working, get together with friends and eat only the heart of the watermelon.
What I learned from Bernie is that being rich is a state of mind. Some of us, no matter how much money we have, will never be free enough to eat only the heart of the watermelon. If you don’t take the time to dangle your feet over the dock and enjoy life’s small pleasure, your work is probably hurting your life.
For many years, I forgot that lesson I’d learned as a kid on the loading dock. I was too busy making all the money I could.
Well, I’ve relearned it. I hope I have time left to enjoy the success of others and to take pleasure in the day. That’s the heart of the watermelon. I have learned again to throw the rest away.
【小题1】 We learned from the second paragraph that the writer and his father were feeling ______.

A．relaxed

B．worried

C．hungry

D．proud

【小题2】How did the writer and his father eat the watermelon?

A．They ate it in a polite way.	B．They only ate its best part.
C．They ate every part of it.	D．They shared only one piece.

【小题3】 In the eyes of the writer’s father, Bernie ______.

A．was just a rich businessman	B．worked hard all the time
C．lived a rich but healthy life	D．knew how to make money

【小题4】The underlined part “the heart of the watermelon” in the last paragraph refers to ______.

A．the best part of the watermelon	B．the writer’s busy life
C．the writer’s decision of making money	D．the writer’s hope of enjoying life

【小题5】It can be learned from the passage that ______.

A．one has to work hard to reach his goal	B．a friend in need is a friend in deed
C．watermelon is the healthiest fruit	D．one should keep work-life balance

London-Paris Tour Details (详情)

 

1. Please wait by the front desk at 4:45am for your FREE transfer to and from St. Pancras International Station. It’s for the travelers staying in central London hotels only.

2.Check in at 5:30am for your journey to Paris. Meet your guide at the group welcome desk at St. Pancras International Station where you will receive your welcome pack. Our guide will travel with you the whole day.

3.Enjoy a tour of Paris on comfortable boat seats! We visit the Eiffel Tower where you can enjoy amazing views of the city from the second floor.

4. Visit the brilliant Palace of Versailles, which was built in 1661. Take in the Great Royal Apartments, Hall of Mirrors and the Queen’s Apartments. The tour also includes a visit to the wonderful gardens, except on Saturday and Public Holidays.

5.You guide will take you back to the Gare du Nord. Your departure time from Paris is 8:13pm, arriving back in London at 9:40pm.

 

A. Journey to Paris B. Free London Hotel Transfers C. Tour of Paris and Eiffel Tower D. Open Top Bus Tour E. Return Journey F. The Palace of Versailles