Black Friday signals the beginning of the holiday shopping season. Although it's not an official holiday, millions of employers give their employees the day off, and many people use that day to get a jumpstart on their holiday shopping. A similar day in Canada and the Great Britain is called “Boxing Day”.
Black Friday has become a marketing hit in recent years. Since 2005, it has been the busiest shopping day of the year. To lure shoppers, retailers(零售商) open their doors as early as 4 am and offer special sales and promotions to the shoppers that arrive early. Some of the special deals offered by stores are only available in limited quantities. That is why some shoppers planning to get the best deals often camp out in front of stores overnight so that they will be the first in line when the doors open.
But why Black Friday? Historians believe the name started in Philadelphia in the mid 1960s. Bus drivers and police used the “Black Friday” name. In the early 1980s, a more positive explanation of the name began to spread. According to this explanation, Black Friday is the day when retailers finally begin to turn a profit for the year. In accounting terms, operating(运营) at a loss is called being “in the red” because accountants traditionally used red ink to show negative amounts. Positive amounts were usually shown “in black ink”. Thus, being in the black is a good thing because it means stores are operating at a profit.
Recently, for those who are too busy to shop on Black Friday, or who just don’t want to fight the crowds, the Monday following Black Friday has become known as Cyber Monday for shoppers can take advantage of the comfort of getting many online deals at their homes.
1. On Black Friday, the Americans ________.| A．have to go to work as usual |
| B．look exactly like the Canadians |
| C．are usually busy doing shopping |
| D．stay at home and relax themselves |
| A．attract | B．protect |
| C．charge | D．remind |
| A．It has the same meaning as Boxing Day. |
| B．They usually lose some money on the day. |
| C．It always keeps them very busy all day. |
| D．It probably brings them more money. |
| A．To state the development of Cyber Monday. |
| B．To tell the difference between red and black. |
| C．To introduce Black Friday to the readers. |
| D．To explain the meaning of Boxing Day. |
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【推荐1】Thanksgiving Day is a special holiday in the United States and Canada. Families and friends gather to eat and give thanks for their blessing.
Thanksgiving Day is really a harvest festival. This is why it is celebrated in late fall, after the crops are in. But one of the first thanksgivings in America had nothing to do with a good harvest. On December 4, 1619, the Pilgrims from England landed near what is now Charles City, Virginia. They knelt down and thanked God for their safe journey across the Atlantic.
The first New England Thanksgiving did celebrate a rich harvest. The Pilgrims landed at what is now Plymouth, Massachusetts(清教徒前辈移民), in 1620. They had a difficult time and the first winter was cruel. Many of the Pilgrims died. But the next year, they had a good harvest. So Governor Bradford declared a three-day feast(盛宴). The Pilgrims invited Indian friends to join them for their special feast. Everyone brought food.
In time, other colonies(殖民地)began to celebrate a day of thanksgiving. But it took years before there was a national Thanksgiving Day. During the Civil War, Sarah Josepha Hale persuaded Abraham Lincoln to do something about it. He proclaimed(宣布)the last Thursday of November 1863 as a day of thanksgiving. Today, Americans celebrate Thanksgiving Day in much the same way as their American neighbours. But the Canadian Thanksgiving Day falls on the second Monday in October.
1. Thanksgiving Day is celebrated ________.| A．in spring | B．in summer | C．in autumn | D．in winter |
| A．the American Indians | B．some people from England |
| C．Sarah Josepha Hale | D．Governor Bradford |
| A．in the US | B．in Great Britain | C．in Canada | D．in Germany |
| A．how Thanksgiving Day is celebrated in the USA |
| B．how Thanksgiving Day came into being and the different ways it is celebrated |
| C．that Thanksgiving Day is in fact a harvest holiday |
| D．how the way to celebrate Thanksgiving Day changed with the time and places |
【推荐2】Several years ago, I was living in New York and working for an airline, so I never got back home for Christmas. But this Christmas was different. I was lucky. I had the whole day off, which meant I could spend Christmas Eve with my family.
When Christmas morning came, I awoke to a small hand rubbing my face. "Dad, Merry Christmas!" was all my younger son had time to say. I got downstairs just to see the little boys' faces as they looked at the pocket rockets Santa Claus had left them. The real Christmas was for the children who had deep belief in the amazing power of Santa Claus. At first, their fingers went almost shyly over their toys. When their inspection（检查）had been completed, the two boys dragged everything into. the centre of the living room.
Delight flooded the room. As their mother began giving out gifts, I smiled to myself, wondering what unexpected gift this year I would receive. The children were happily opening packages but I received not a single one. I had to admit that my disappointment was growing steadily, but I tried not to show it.
My youngest son was so kind. He passed me a box saying, "Daddy, it is a gift from Santa Claus for me. But he won't mind that I will give it to a poor dad, right?" I smiled knowing the gift was the one I put in the stocking. I thanked him and gave him a big hug.
Suddenly my wife said, "We haven't forgotten you. Look at the tree." There was an envelope in the tree, addressed to me. I opened it and read, "You have one day off from your job to spend with us. Welcome back home. Merry Christmas!"
Outside, snow was falling, a usual event for a New York Christmas. I was surrounded by an act of love, I smiled at first and cried like a little boy.
1. Why did the author feel lucky this Christmas?| A．Because he had a job in an airline. |
| B．Because he could spend Christmas at home. |
| C．Because he got a pay rise before Christmas. |
| D．Because he had a newborn son before Christmas. |
| A．Because they thought they were given by magic Santa Claus. |
| B．Because they wouldn't like to accept them from strangers. |
| C．Because their mother didn't allow them to open them in public. |
| D．Because they knew the gifts were from Dad. |
| A．angry but pretended to be happy |
| B．relaxed knowing his wife was too busy |
| C．surprised to find no one remembered him |
| D．disappointed but pretended nothing serious |
| A．His mother. | B．Santa Claus. |
| C．His father. | D．His elder brother. |
| A．He felt lonely without other members remembering him. |
| B．He felt excited at so many gifts given by Santa Claus. |
| C．He felt proud his son would share everything with him. |
| D．He felt surrounded by love at the special Christmas. |
The Kinema, Lincolnshire
It's a wooden building on the outside and a two－screen cinema on the inside, all nesting among pine trees in a tiny village. The Kinema showed its first film in 1922 and the first six rows were deekchairs(折叠帆布躺椅). Today, it's more richly decorated.
“People come here because it's a fantastic experience，” says manager philip Jones. “Many rooms in the Kinema are simple and not attractive, but we try to remain everything that makes it special. ”
The Cube, Bristol
It's not really a cinema. It is a not－for－profit cooperative run by volunteers, which has been operating for the last 15 years.
They are “unique for what we do, which is to operate seven nights a week and with no funding.” They make many things themselves, such as cola and yogurt.
The Broadway, Nottingham
A cinema has been here since the 1960s, when local fashion designer Paul Smith would come to see arty foreign films, which heavily influenced his career choice. Later, he designed the stripy(条纹的) sofas.
The Broadway was previously used as a church, but locals love it for its independent, art house, and DIY spirit. The Broadway also has a right－on restaurant, with locally sourced vegetables and salads, and even serves its own beer.
The Rex, Hertfordshire
It opened to the public in 1938 and has been named the most beautiful cinema in the UK. There's a varied programme with different films every night. Hot dogs and popcorn are banned. And a real person answers the phone when you call. People speak very highly of the Rex. So do go, if only once, to see just how a cinema should be run.
1. In Philip Jones' opinion, the Kinema may attract people who ________．
| A．live in the nearby villages |
| B．are fond of rich decorations |
| C．are interested in wooden structures |
| D．want to experience something special |
| A．are non－profit cooperatives |
| B．show arty foreign films |
| C．offer homemade drinks |
| D．use stripy sofas |
| A．The Kinema. | B．The Cube. |
| C．The Broadway. | D．The Rex. |
【推荐1】For the past 3000 years, when people thought of money, they thought of cash. From buying food to paying bills, day-to-day dealings involved paper or metal money. Over the past decade, however, digital payments have taken off—tapping your credit card on a machine or having the QR Code (二维码) on your smart phone scanned has become normal. Now this revolution is about to turn cash into an endangered species in some rich countries. That will make the economy more efficient, but it also brings new problems.
Countries are getting rid of cash at different speeds. In Sweden the number of retail cash transactions (交易) per person has fallen by 80% in the past ten years. Cash accounts for just 6% of purchases by value in Norway. Britain is probably four or six years behind it. America is perhaps a decade behind. Outside the rich world, cash is still king. However, in China, digital payments rose from 4% of all payments in 2012 to 34% in 2017.
Cash is dying out because of two forces. One is demand—younger consumers want to enjoy their digital lives with payment systems. But equally important, suppliers such as banks and tech firms are developing fast, easy-to-use payment technologies from which they can pull data and pocket fees.
In general, the future of a cashless economy is excellent news. When cash payments disappear, people and shops are less likely to be stolen. Besides, digitalisation greatly expands the playground of small businesses by enabling them to sell beyond their borders. It also creates a credit history, helping consumers borrow. Yet it is not without problems. Electronic payment systems may suffer technical failures, power blackouts and cyber-attacks. What’s more, in a cashless economy the poor, the elderly and country folk may be left behind.
1. What do we know about digital payments in paragraph 1?| A．They've been used in daily dealings for 3000 years. |
| B．They have become popular in the past ten years. |
| C．They can only be made on the smart phones. |
| D．They are leading to cash's dying out worldwide. |
| A．America. | B．Britain. | C．Sweden | D．Norway. |
| A．Cash payments are less likely to disappear. |
| B．Digitalisation enables small businesses to sell nationally. |
| C．Customers can have their credit history built through digital payments. |
| D．Digital payments may benefit the poor, the elderly and country folks. |
| A．The future of a cashless society. | B．The rising of digital payments. |
| C．The reasons for cash being endangered. | D．The development of payment technologies. |
●The offer includes a room for the night and a breakfast the next morning.
● The offer is valid for a basic twin or double room only.
● The stay must be booked directly with the chosen B&Bs before 28/04/2015.
● Each voucher can only be used by the holder to book one room for one night.
●The offer is ￡20 per room, per night. If voucher holders book additional services such as lunch, evening meal or activities, an extra charge is required. Please check directly with your chosen B&Bs to see what extra services are available.
● Vouchers must be presented on arrival. If no vouchers are presented, the B&Bs may reserve the right to charge at full price for every night of stay.
● Vouchers may not be used together with any other offer.
● The voucher holders must pay for the stay in full at the time of booking. Meanwhile, additional ￡10 has to be paid to confirm the booking and will be returned on arrival.
● The B&Bs reserve the right to refuse voucher holders’ bookings for people under the age of 18.
1. How much should be paid for a two-night stay when you book a room with vouchers?
| A．￡75. | B．￡35. | C．￡50. | D．￡55. |
| A．To request extra charges as tips. |
| B．To refuse bookings for guests under the age of 18. |
| C．To charge at full price for stays not confirmed. |
| D．To charge extra￡10 for bookings with no vouchers. |
| A．book the stays through B&B Daily |
| B．use the B&B offer together with other offers |
| C．book either a basic twin or double room at the chosen B&Bs |
| D．have lunch or evening meal without paying any extra money |
【推荐3】How to bargain in the sales
Shops use a lot of clever tricks to make you feel like you are getting a bargain, so you need to be wise to avoid that. This is especially true when there’s a special offer on something you want to buy.
Shops run special offers several times a year to sell their old stock and make way for new things. They hope that people will buy things without really thinking it through because they don’t want to miss out on a good deal.
It is worth getting a really good deal. There are times when shopping during a sale can be a good idea, and some grown-ups save up for expensive items like furniture or kitchen appliances.
It’s tempting to buy things we don’t really want or need, just because they’re on offer. Most sales only last for a short time, which shops do on purpose to hurry customers into buying without thinking it over.
| A．It’s indeed a real business. |
| B．This is called “impulse buying”. |
| C．This can work out well if it’s something you need. |
| D．It’s always sensible to bargain before you spend money. |
| E．So, it is important to think before you spend and control your desire to buy. |
| F．If you are saving up for stuff like that, it’s wise to buy it when it’s on offer. |
| G．Perhaps there’s a big discount on a nice game that you’ve been saving up for. |
【推荐1】Do you want to explore the wild nature? If you want to make your approaching holiday more adventurous, pay a visit to these natural parks,which are unlike any trip you've ever taken before.
Pensthorpe Natural Park
Pensthorpe Natural Park is a perfect goldmine for anyone who is looking for somewhere to take the whole family in summer. The park was voted as England's Best Large Attraction 2014&2015. The 700-acre woodland park has a mass of public places and eco-play areas for kids.
Broads National Park
Broads National Park is one of the top attractions to England. Did you know the Broads are actually man-made? They were created by the flooding of peat（煤泥）workings but over the years have become a protected landscape（风景,景致）. They provide a home for more than a quarter of Britain's rare（珍稀的）plants and wildlife.
RSPB Titchwell Marsh Nature Reserve
Located bet ween two beautiful villages. RSPB Titchwell Marsh is a real heaven for bird lovers. Whether you're a bird-watcher or you simply love wildlife, you'll enjoy getting close to this area. Standing by freshwater and saltwater lakes, you can expect to see huge groups of birds flying in all day long. You can also choose watching hides to view wildlife in the distance.
Welney Wetland Centre
The UK's leading wetland charity provides one of the best places in the area to view birds in their natural living places and learn more about wetlands. Covering over 1,300 acres of wetlands, it's a perfect adventure-filled backyard. The centre offers bird and wildlife watching hides, play areas and lots of walks.
1. If you intend to take a family trip in summer， which one will be a good choice?| A．Broads National Park. | B．Pensthorpe Natural Park |
| C．Welney Wetland Centre. | D．RSPB Titchwell Marsh Nature Reserve |
| A．View monkeys from hides. | B．Visit the eco-play areas with kids |
| C．Observe the rare plants and wildlife | D．Learn more about the wetlands. |
| A．They are both man-made. | B．They are natural living places for birds |
| C．They are home to rarest wildlife in the world. | D．They are England's best large attractions. |
【推荐2】The Canada goose is the largest species of true goose. Its scientific name, Branta canadensis, means “black or burnt goose from Canada”. While Canada goose is the bird’s official and preferred name, it is also known colloquially (通俗地) as the Canadian goose.
The Canada goose has a black head and neck and a white “chinstrap (下巴)” that distinguish it from other geese. Its body is brown. The average Canada goose ranges from 75 to 110 cm in length and has a wingspan of 1.27 to 1.85 m. Adult females are slightly smaller and lighter than males, but they are visually indistinguishable. An average male weighs from 2.6 to 6.5 kg, while an average female weighs from 2.4 to 5.5 kg.
Canada geese are mostly herbivores (食草动物). They eat grass, beans, corn, and aquatic plants. They sometimes also eat small insects and fish. In urban areas, Canada geese will pick food from garbage bins or accept it from humans.
Fresh water is a primary need for these geese, and they seek it nearby wherever they happen to be. They will flock to lakes, ponds, streams, rivers and even swimming pools! This is the perfect habitat for Canada geese, and they take advantage of these areas commonly.
Originally, the Canada goose was native to North America, breeding in Canada and the northern U.S. and migrating further south in the winter. Some geese still follow the usual migration pattern, but large flocks have established permanent residences as far south as Florida.
Where you can find Canada geese varies based on what time of year it is. In some areas, the geese are becoming permanent residents, when they used to migrate south for the winter. The southern United States is their home during the winter, the northern United States has a year-round population, and Canada has a summer population.
1. What is characteristic of the Canada goose?| A．Its black head and neck and white chinstrap. |
| B．Its length and weight. |
| C．Its average wingspan. |
| D．Its brown body. |
| A．Its scientific name is the Canadian goose. |
| B．Its length varies based on where they live. |
| C．Adult females are usually larger and heavier than males. |
| D．It is hard to distinguish a female from a male in appearance. |
| A．Fish. | B．Food. | C．Corn. | D．Garbage. |
| A．Habitat and distribution. | B．Diet. |
| C．Migration. | D．Life Cycle. |
【推荐3】Migrants to the UK are to be quizzed about their English skills before being able to claim income-related benefits, the government has announced.
In a move to “protect the integrity(完整性)of the benefits system”, people will also be asked what efforts they have made to find work before coming to Britain. Work and Pensions Secretary Duncan Smith said people should not be able to “take advantage” of British benefits. Job centres in England, Scotland and Wales will use the “more mighty” test. The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) said the test would ensure “only migrants who have a legal right to be in Britain and plan to contribute to this country can make a claim for benefits”.
“For the first time, migrants will be quizzed about what efforts they have made to find work before coming to the UK and whether their English language skills will be a barrier to them finding employment,” the DWP said in a statement.
Income-related benefits include council tax benefit, housing benefit, income-based jobseeker’s allowance and pension credit.
Mr. Duncan Smith said British people were “rightly concerned” that migrants should contribute to the economy and should not be “drawn here by the attractiveness of our benefits system”.
“It is vitally important that we have strict rules in place to protect the integrity of our benefits system,” he said. He said the new test would help create a fair system which provided for “genuine” workers and jobseekers but “does not allow people to come to our country and take advantage”.
To claim the benefits, migrants will have to pass a “habitual residence test” including more than 100 extra questions compared to now. This will be overseen by an “intelligent IT system” which will ensure questions are “tailored to each individual claimant”.
Migrants will be allowed to claim benefits if they can prove they are legally allowed to be in Britain and are “habitually resident” of the country. As part of this they might be questioned about what measures they have taken to “establish” themselves in Britain and what ties they still have abroad.
“They will also have to provide more evidence that they are doing everything they can to find a job,” the DWP said.
1. What does the British government use the test for?| A．promoting the English skills of migrants. |
| B．making efforts to help migrants find work. |
| C．protecting the rights of migrants. |
| D．ensuring the British benefit claimed legally by migrants . |
| A．All British residents must be quizzed about their English skills. |
| B．The test will ask migrants whether they are willing to work in Britain. |
| C．The test is an act to protect British benefits system. |
| D．The test will help the government dismiss jobseekers. |
| A．a person who applies | B．a person who is badly off |
| C．a person who migrates | D．a person who is quizzed |
| A．All migrants can claim benefits from the UK. |
| B．Income-related benefits can be a great help to migrants. |
| C．All migrants come to the UK only to claim benefits. |
| D．Migrants are to pass a test to get the benefits from the UK. |
【推荐1】In industry and medicine, robots routinely build, break down and inspect things; they also assist in surgery and pharmacies. Neither they nor “social” robots-which are designed to engage with people and to establish an emotional connection-behave like The Jetsons’ maid, Rosie, or other beloved robots of fiction. Even so, expect social robots to become more complicated and popular in the next few years.
Like most robots, social robots use artificial intelligence (AI) to decide how to act on information received through cameras and other sensors. The ability to respond in ways that seem lifelike has been informed by research into such issues as how perceptions (认知) form, what constitutes social and emotional intelligence, and how people understand others’ thoughts and feelings. Advances in AI have enabled designers to translate such psychological and neuroscientific (神经学的) insights into algorithms (演算) that allow robots to recognize voices, faces and emotions; interpret speech and gestures; respond appropriately to complex verbal and nonverbal cues; make eye contact; speak conversationally; and adapt to people’s needs by learning from feedback, rewards and criticisms.
In consequence, social robots are filling an ever expanding variety of roles. A 47-inch humanoid called Pepper (from SoftBank Robotics), for instance, recognizes faces and basic human emotions and engages in conversations via a touch screen in its “chest.” About 15,000 Peppers worldwide perform such services as hotel check-ins, airport customer service, shopping assistance and fast-food checkout. Social robots have particular appeal for assisting the world’s growing elderly population. Japan’s PARO Therapeutic (治疗的) Robot, which looks like a lovely seal (海豹), is meant to stimulate and reduce stress for those with Alzheimer’s disease and other patients. Mabu (Catalia Health) engages patients, particularly the elderly, reminding them to take walks and medication. Social robots are also gaining popularity with consumers as toys. Early attempts to incorporate social behavior in toys, such as Hasbro’s Baby Alive and Sony’s AIBO robotic dog, had limited success. But both are resurging, and the most recent version of AIBO has complicated voice and gesture recognition, can be taught tricks and develops new behaviors based on previous interactions.
Worldwide sales of consumer robots reached an estimated $5.6 billion in 2018, and the market is expected to grow to $19 billion by the end of 2025. This trend may seem surprising given that multiple well-funded consumer robot companies, such as Jibo and Anki, have failed. But a wave of robots is lining up to take the place of defunct robots, including BUDDY (Blue Frog Robotics), a big-eyed mobile device that plays games in addition to acting as a personal assistant and providing home automation and security.
1. Paragraph 2 mainly tells us ________.| A．what the features of social robots are |
| B．what promotes social robots’ engagement with people |
| C．how algorithms are improved to adapt to people’s needs |
| D．how psychological and neuroscientific insights are translated |
| A．have a wide range of applications |
| B．have the ability to deal with emergencies |
| C．have a tendency to take the place of humans |
| D．have successfully gained psychological insight |
| A．Social robots are designed as personal assistants. |
| B．Robots in industry and medicine need improvement. |
| C．Consumer robots have been successful all these years. |
| D．Social robots are popular due to great interactive abilities. |
| A．To predict the prospect of social robots. |
| B．To introduce the advances of social robots. |
| C．To report the application of AI in social robots. |
| D．To show the influence of social robots on our life. |
【推荐2】Scientists are attempting to extract (提取) cells from a 40,000-year-old horse in hopes of using the sample to clone the extinct species back into existence. The male baby horse was discovered in 2018 in permafrost (永冻土) in northeastern Siberia of Russia.
A team of scientists from South Korea and Russia believes the young horse, called the Lenskaya or Lena horse, was about 20 days old when it died. The species of horse, now extinct, is between 30,000 and 40,000 years old. Thanks to the terrible coldness, the animal’s tissue was preserved enough for the scientists to obtain samples.
Semyon Grigoriev, head of the lab at the Mammoth (猛犸象) Museum of the North-Eastern Federal University in Yakutsk, said the horse was “well-preserved and a “great find”. There is no damage to the horse’s body and even its hair is undamaged. The unfortunate animal, according to Grigoriev, “could have drowned after falling into some kind of a natural trap.”
Hwang Woo-Suk, a researcher from South Korea working on the project, said, “If researchers find a cell, they will do their best to clone the animal. If we get live cells from this ancient baby horse, it would be wonderful in terms of cloning.”
After that, they will make a cloned embryo and let a female horse carry it as its mother. Hwang said modern-day horses are “very similar to the ancient one,” so there would be no problem getting help from a modern-day female horse.
The scientists are hoping the experiment on the baby horse will give them experience in progressing toward their ambitious goal - bringing back the extinct woolly mammoth.
“If we manage to clone the horse - it will be the first step to cloning the mammoth,” Hwang said.
1. Why was the Lenskaya horse kept in good condition?| A．It died quite young. |
| B．It was buried under the ground. |
| C．A local museum had preserved it. |
| D．The temperatures were extremely low. |
| A．It was a female horse. |
| B．Its hair was partly destroyed. |
| C．It might have died by accident. |
| D．Its tissue can hardly be found. |
| A．Get live cells from the baby horse. |
| B．Make an embryo in a female horse. |
| C．Find an ideal modern-day female horse. |
| D．Know more about extinct ancient horses. |
| A．A new horse species found in Siberia |
| B．Scientists attempt to clone extinct horse |
| C．How to preserve ancient animals’ tissue |
| D．How to extract cells from extinct species |
【推荐3】My six-year-old granddaughter stared at me as if she was seeing me for the first time. “Grandma, you are an antique (古董),” she said. “You are old. Antiques are old. You are my antique.”
I was not satisfied to let the matter rest there. I took out the Webster’s Dictionary and read the definition to Jenny. I explained, “An antique is not only old, it’s an object existing since or belonging to earlier times...a work of art... a piece of furniture. Antiques are treasured,” I told Jenny as I put away the dictionary. “They have to be handled carefully because they sometimes are very valuable. In order to qualify as an antique, the object has to be at least 100 years old.”
“I’m only 67,” I reminded Jenny.
We looked around the house for other antiques, besides me. There was a desk that was handed down from Rone aunt to another and finally to our family. “It’s very old,” I told Jenny. “I try to keep it polished and I show it off whenever I can. You do that with antiques."
There was a picture on the wall bought at a garage sale. It was dated 1867. “Now that’s an antique,” I said with pride. “Over 100 years old.” Of course it was marked up and scratched (刮坏) and not in very good condition. “Sometimes age does that,” I told Jenny. “But the marks are good marks. They show living, or being around. That’s something to display with pride. In fact, sometimes, the more an object shows age, the more valuable it can become.” I believed this was important for my own self-worth.
Our tour of antiques continued. There was a vase on the floor. It had been in my house for a long time. I was not certain where it came from but I didn’t buy it new. One thing about antiques, I explained to Jenny, was that they usually had a story. They’d been in one home and then another, handed down from one family to another, traveling all over the place. They’d lasted through years and years. They could have been thrown away, or ignored, or destroyed, or lost. But instead, they survived.
For a moment, Jenny looked thoughtful. “l don’t have any antiques but you,” she said. Then her face brightened,“Could I take you to school for show and tell?”
“Only if I fit into your backpack,” I answered. And then Jenny’s antique lifted her up and embraced her in a hug that would last through the years.
1. Why did Grandma read the definition of “antique” to Jenny?| A．To change Jenny’s shallow understanding of antiques. |
| B．To list all the important characteristics of antiques. |
| C．To express her disappointment at being called “antique”. |
| D．To tell Jenny the importance of protecting antiques. |
| A．The desk reminded her of her dear relatives. |
| B．The marks on the picture showed its age and value. |
| C．There was usually a sad story behind each antique. |
| D．She planned to buy a new vase to replace the old one. |
| A．Jenny had a strong desire for grandma’s love. |
| B．Jenny was too young to know grandma’s humor. |
| C．Grandma had a deep long-lasting love for Jenny. |
| D．Grandma was too old to lift Jenny up. |
| A．Grandma’s Antique | B．A Story of Antiques |
| C．A Tour of Antiques | D．Jenny’s Antique |
