Buying Is Doing?
How important is shopping to you? How much time do you spend buying things? And how much time do you spend organizing these things in your home? In the future, how much time will you spend in movie theaters, at amusement parks, at shopping malls, or at convenience stores? When you add it all up, you will robably see you spend a lot of your life consuming (消费) things. Consuming products is not necessarily bad. However, if we spend too much time doing it, we should look at it carefully.
Imagine that you have a week off from school. You don't have to go to class. However, in this week, you cannot spend any money—no shopping, no movies, no eating out. How would you spend your time? What things would bring you happiness? Perhaps you would take a walk with your best friend. Perhaps you would help a child read. Or you might spend time with your family.
When we look back, it is likely that non-consuming experiences like these will be our most important memories. Why? Non-consuming activities are active, not passive. They don't come in a package. You make the experience yourself. For example, each person who reads to a child will have a different experience. The experience changes with the reader, the child, and the book. Similarly，when you have a conversation with a friend, you are actively creating an experience. The conversation that you have with your friend cannot be experienced or recreated by anyone else. However, if you watch a movie with a friend, you will each have a packaged experience. It requires no action and little interaction between the two of you.
The environment we live in encourages us to have packaged experiences. We feel that we must consume because we believe that buying is doing. However, we can start a personal revolution(变革) against consumerism. How? By consuming less. We can ask ourselves what experiences bring us the greatest satisfaction. Then we can organize our lives so that we have more of those kinds of experiences.
1. If consuming products takes too much time, we should_______.| A．spend less money | B．think about it carefully |
| C．organize our things | |
| A．we can say no to consumerism by consuming less |
| B．buying things can bring us the greatest satisfaction |
| C．the environment seldom influences our shopping choices |
| A．consuming experiences |
| B．Non-consuming experiences |
| C．Experiences that bring us great satisfaction |
| A．To introduce some ways of enjoying our spare time. |
| B．To encourage people to have more active experiences. |
| C．To explain reasons behind people's shopping behavior. |
相似题推荐
【推荐1】In May, 2017, heads of state from 29 foreign countries including Russia, Italy and Indonesia came to Beijing. What did they do in the city? They attended the Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation(“一带一路"合作高峰论坛）on May 14 and 15. It added a new chapter to the cooperation between China and the rest of the world.
It all started in 2013 when President Xi Jinping put forward an initiative(倡议）called the Belt and Road Initiative. The Belt and Road refers to the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road.
The main goal of the forum is to make the countries along the routes work together in more areas. One result of it is that China will host the China International Import Expo(中国国际进口博览会）starting from 2018. It helps products from the countries enter China's market. According to Commerce Minister, China will import products worth 2,000 billion dollars from countries along the routes in the next five years.
China will also work more closely with the countries in science and education."In the coming five years, we will offer 2,500 short-term research visits to China for young foreign scientists and set up 50 joint laboratories, "Xi said in his speech at the opening ceremony of the forum.
1. How many countries took part in the Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation?| A．28. | B．29. | C．30. | D．31. |
| A．It started in 2013. |
| B．It was suggested by President Xi Jinping. |
| C．It aims to develop the cooperation between China and the rest of the world. |
| D．It is the same as the Silk Road Economic Belt. |
| A．To link China and the Western world. |
| B．To work together with countries along the routes. |
| C．To get support from other countries. |
| D．To prepare for China International Import Expo in 2018. |
| A．The Cooperation in More Areas | B．The Belt and Road Forum |
| C．The Great Plan for the Future | D．Leaders Work Together |
【推荐2】Could the students from less developed areas in central and western China get the same educational chances as those in big cities in the east? Could the children in poor rural (农村) areas develop as well as those in rich cities? Maybe the answers were “No” in the past. But now, China is trying to change the situation.
In order to help rural students grow taller and stronger, China’s Nutrition (营养) Improvement Program started in 2011. According to the program, a lot more money was spent improving students’ meals. More than 36 million students from 134,000 primary and junior high schools in poor rural areas have benefited from the program. They are provided with healthy food like eggs and milk from Monday to Friday at school. And the result of a survey shows that the students in those areas are much taller and stronger than before.
It is true that there were differences between less developed areas and developed areas in education before. Recently, The Guideline for Popularizing High School Education (2017-2020) has come out. According to the guideline, above 90% students from all over the country will go to high schools by 2020. What’s more, the schools in central and western areas will get more support to improve their education.
Students from rural and poor areas also get more chances to receive higher education. A special college program makes it possible for more students from those areas to go to key (重点的) colleges and universities. The number will be increased by 10% in 2017.
With the guideline and the programs, we can expect a fairer and more balanced (均衡的) education in the future.
1. The number of 134,000 in Paragraph 2 is the number of _______ in poor rural areas.| A．the key schools | B．the poor students |
| C．the key colleges and universities | D．the primary and junior high schools |
| A．逃离 | B．获益 | C．受害 | D．赚钱 |
(=Para.(自然段) 1 =Para. 2 =Para. 3 =Para. 4 =Para. 5)
| A．;; | B．;; | C．;; | D．;; |
| A．Liu Xi, a student from Chongqing, can go to any high school if she wants to |
| B．Li Mei, a student from a western rural school, can get a bag of milk every day |
| C．Hu Jia, a 12-year-old rural student, will more easily receive high school education |
| D．Han Lei, a student from Beijing, will have few chances to go to key universities |
In a village in Uganda, a woman named Fatima ran a small store. She sold food and other useful items. However, she had trouble making enough money to keep the shelves stocked （储存的）. To stay in business, Fatima got a microfinance loan—a small total of money from a person in another country. It was just enough for her to buy a cell phone. She let villagers make calls using her phone and charged them some money for each call. This helped her make enough money to keep her shelves stocked with items. Fatima then used the money to send her children to school and improved their lives, as well as her own.
Microfinance is the practice of giving small loans to people in need. Most microfinance loans are for less than two hundred dollars. The loans are used to start or enlarge a small business, such as catching fish, raising chickens or selling produce. Lenders are willing to make these loans because most of the people who receive them are very likely （可能的）to repay the loans.
Microfinance loans are important for several reasons. The businesses that these loans support often provide needed services or goods to their communities. Also, many of the people who receive microfinance loans cannot get money any other way. Although they have to pay a rate （比率） of interest on the money they borrow, the rate is lower than if they borrowed from a local moneylender.
It doesn’t seem like such a small total of money could make a big difference, but microfinance loans have been shown to help improve some people's lives and put new life into the communities like Fatima's.
1. Why did Fatima get a microfinance loan?| A．To manage her small store. |
| B．To buy a cell phone for her neighbor |
| C．To help the villagers make money. |
| D．To afford her children's education. |
| A．It supports poor people for free. |
| B．It offers big loans to people in need. |
| C．It helps small businesses a lot. |
| D．It provides needed goods for local people. |
| A．盈利 | B．红利 | C．利润 | D．利息 |
| A．Fatima is the richest woman in her community |
| B．Few people in Fatima's village have cell phones |
| C．Microfinance will provide money for big companies |
| D．Most borrowers can hardly repay the loans |
| A．A Little Can Go a Long Way |
| B．Small Businesses Make a Big Difference |
| C．A Cell Phone Brings a Better Life |
| D．Microfinance Loans Build a New World |
A message in e-mail English mostly uses two kinds of new words. The first kind is made up of the first letters of the words. These are called acronyms. The second kind is homophones，letter combination(合并), symbols that sound like other words.
Acronyms in an e-mail save space and time. It takes a long time to write by the way. BTW is much faster. Other acronyms are F2F which stands for face to face, CSL for can’t stop laughing and DBEYR for don’t believe everything you read! Some of the acronyms look like strange words, such as SWAK. But this one means sealed(封口) with a kiss.
Homophones often use letters and numbers that sound like words or parts of words. For example, 8 sound like—eat in great, to save time, people write gr8. Another example is CU for see you or sometimes CU l8r (see you later)
The number 2 is used for to or too and the number 4 is used instead of for.
Another part of e-mail is emotive symbols(表情符号) which make faces when you look at them sideways. The most common emotive, is the happy face :). A comma (逗号) is often used to help add other parts of the face and show different expressions.
E-mail English is fun. An e-mail message with lots of e-mail English starts to look like secret code(密码). Your best friend will probably understand it, but your parents and teachers may not. In fact, many teachers don’t like e-mail English. It’s not just because they can’t comprehend what it means. It’s because students start to use e-mail English in their everyday writing. E-mail English is great for writing quickly. But most teachers say that e-mail English should only be used in e-mails to one’s friends.
1. What does the writer talk about in the first paragraph?
| A．How to read new e-mail words. |
| B．How new e-mail words are made. |
| C．Why people use e-mail English. |
| D．Canadian teachers and their e-mails. |
| A．accept | B．understand | C．guess | D．prefer |
| A．Parents will have to learn some e-mail English. |
| B．E-mail English will develop our everyday writing. |
| C．E-mail English can’t be used among schoolmates. |
| D．E-mail English shouldn’t be used in school writing. |
| A．E-mail English on Computer. | B．American E-mail English. |
| C．The Forms of E-mail English. | D．The Changing of English. |
【推荐2】Close contacts between Japan and the rest of the world were created in the twentieth century. In the last forty years, business contacts between Japan and the West have become very important. Many foreign companies now have offices in Japan and Japanese businessmen do business around the world. Differences between Japanese and Western ways of doing business, however, often bewilder foreign businessmen and make doing business in Japan difficult for foreigners.
The American businessman, for example, wants to start talking business immediately. He does not want to wait. The Japanese businessman, on the other hand, likes to arrive at decisions after giving them serious thought. Another thing foreign businessmen have difficulty in understanding is when a Japanese means “Yes” or “No”. This is because of cultural differences between Japanese and Western society(社会), which make it difficult for a Japanese to say “No” directly.
In the USA, it is easy to say “No” to something one does not want to do. But in Japan, it is very difficult to say “No”. To refuse an invitation or a request(请求) with “No” is felt to be impolite. It is thought to be selfish and unfriendly. So instead of saying “No” directly, the Japanese have developed many ways to avoid(避免) saying “No”. These can help them avoid hurting other people’s feelings. However, this often makes their ways of doing business rather difficult for foreigners to understand and follow.
1. What often makes foreigners feel difficult to do business in Japan?| A．Their different ways of doing business. |
| B．Their different lifestyles. |
| C．The fact that the Japanese never say “No”. |
| D．The fact that the Japanese are slow to take action. |
| A．cause foreign businessmen to change their minds |
| B．give a feeling of surprise to foreign businessmen |
| C．attract foreign businessmen’s attention |
| D．make foreign businessmen think wrongly |
| A．American businessmen do things more slowly than Japanese ones. |
| B．American businessmen like to say “Yes” and “No”. |
| C．Americans usually say what they are thinking. |
| D．Americans do not say what they think or feel clearly. |
| A．Japanese businessmen are good at business |
| B．foreign businessmen should try to know Japanese ways of doing business |
| C．foreign businessmen must be more polite |
| D．you must learn from Japanese businessmen if you want to succeed |
【推荐3】Does the endless messages and the thought of replying to unopened texts make you stressed? Texting stress is a real thing, and more common than you’d think.
In the last 25 years, texting has already changed the way we communicate. From QQ to WeChat, likes, shares and group chats join traditional forms of communication like email and texting. Many find themselves tired out from the endless notices and group conversations.
The average person in 2022 checks their phone 262 times a day, up from a daily average of 80 in 2016. On average, each person will have 47 unread text messages and 1,602 unopened emails. Yet the average phone screen time is more than ever before, at 4.2 hours per day.
Leah Aguirre, a psychotherapist explains that text conversations are usually a cause of stress as they come with a lot of uncertainty. “We don’t know how someone will reply, if they will reply, or how quickly they will reply. We can’t control other people’s actions or behaviour or how they think, and for people that are more likely to be stressed this can be hard to deal with.”
Text stress can influence your relationships with friends and loved ones. A 2018 study found that friendships are far more successful when you and the other person have a similar texting style. If both of you reply to texts quickly, the relationship is less likely to hit the rocks. Similarly, if everyone is happy to go hours, days, even weeks with replying to texts, then the relationship is better.
Aguirre suggests limiting the time you are on your phone will help you feel relaxed. “You can tell yourself that you have no control over another person’s reaction or behaviour. Remind yourself that this is just a phone or a text message and that you are okay and will be okay,” she said.
Now, time to get to all those unanswered texts.
1. The writer listed the data (数据) in Paragraph 3 to tell us ________.| A．texting has taken up too much of our time |
| B．technology has developed fast over the years |
| C．cellphone has become a useful tool in daily lives |
| D．people would like to communicate through messages |
| A．It may be impolite not to reply all the text messages. |
| B．People don’t get stressed if they have similar texting styles. |
| C．Group conversations are more likely to make people stressed. |
| D．Whether people get stressed depends on how someone replies. |
①spending less time on the phone
②paying no attention to messages
③communicating in another way
④reminding ourselves to relax
| A．①③ | B．②④ | C．②③ | D．①④ |
| A．Education. | B．Science. | C．Society. | D．Culture. |
Germany(德国) is one of the most beautiful countries in the world. It is in the middle of Europe. Poland is on its east(东). Austria and Switzerland are on its south.
Germany is a great place to go all year round. Most people like to visit it from May to September (the holiday season) when there're lots of sunny days. They can go hiking(徒步旅行), go cycling and go swimming.
Some people like to visit it in other seasons (from March to May and from October to early November). People can also enjoy skiing(滑雪) between November and early March, because the weather is very cold at that time. The ski areas in the Bavarian Alps are the best places to go skiing.
Remember that it may rain in any month, so try to be careful.
1. ________ is on Germany's south.
| A．Austria | B．Poland | C．Australia | D．China |
| A．nine | B．seven | C．six | D．five |
| A．They will go cycling. | B．They will go hiking. |
| C．They will go skiing. | D．They will go swimming. |
| A．there're always many people in Germany |
| B．it may rain in any month in Germany |
| C．it is very cold in any month in Germany |
| D．it's difficult to make friends with people in Germany |
| A．In a history book. |
| B．In a storybook. |
| C．In a travel guide(旅游指南)． |
| D．In a dictionary. |
People usually like to mark their space. Are you sitting on a beach or a train or in a library? If you are on the beach you may have spread your sands around you; on the train you may have put your coat or a small bag on the seat beside you; in a library you may have one corner or chair which is your own.
Once I was traveling on a train to London. I was in a section for four people and there was a table between us. The man sitting opposite me had his bag on the table. There was no space on my side of the table at all. I was made rather angry. Maybe he thought that he owned the whole table! I took some newspapers out of my bag and put them on his. When I did this he sat up straight at once, opening his eyes wide. I had invaded（侵占）his space! A few minutes later, I took my newspapers off his bag in order to read them. He at once moved his bag to his side of the table.
1. The English call their homes “castles” because ____________.
| A．they don’t make friend with others |
| B．they are very important persons |
| C．they don’t want to stay with others |
| D．homes provide them with their own space |
| A．私人的 | B．公共的 | C．相邻的 | D．隐蔽的 |
| A．cover himself with sands |
| B．sit in another person’s chair |
| C．spread sands around him |
| D．talk loudly with his friends |
| A．the man’s bag fell on the writer’s foot. |
| B．the man’s bag was on the writer’s seat. |
| C．the man didn’t leave space for the writer on the table. |
| D．the man’s bag prevented the writer looking out of the window. |
| A．invade the man’s space |
| B．let the man move his bag to his side |
| C．take the man’s seat |
| D．let the man read the newspaper |
【推荐3】“Fear is good.”
Fear is the bad feeling that one has when he is in danger or when a particular thing frightens him. A German proverb goes, “Fear makes the wolf bigger than he is.” This is absolutely true as fear will often cause people to imagine the worst and act irrationally. In that case, can fear be any good?
Personally, I think a small amount of fear is good and even necessary as it not only acts as a form of control and prevention but also serves to motivate oneself. Nevertheless, being overly fearful is bad as it will severely hamper man’s progress. In this essay, I will discuss how fear can be a double-edged sword, bringing both advantages and disadvantages to man.
Fear is good as it prevents people from doing dangerous acts and prompts them to control and regulate their behavior. Next, fear is good as it is a powerful motivator. For individuals such as students and businessmen, the fear of failure will prompt them to work hard and put in their best effort in their studies and business undertakings. This will lead to results and progress.
Although fear is good, man must keep in mind that too much fear may be harmful to his development. Being overly fearful of the unknown and intangible will prevent people from venturing into areas previously unexplored. For example, in the area of space exploration, Apollo 11 would have never landed the first humans on the moon if they had let fear get in the way of their dream. As the late John F. Kennedy once said, “We choose to go to the moon in this decade and do the other things not because they are easy, but because they are hard.” To achieve great feats, man must learn to conquer (战胜) his fear and find the courage to overcome the difficulties that life presents. Only then can the human race continue to make progress and enjoy the sweet smell of success.
In sum, fear is good as it will finally lead to a well-controlled and motivated society. Nevertheless, people must keep in mind that they should not be clouded by fear as it will stop their progress. I believe that a small dose of fear and a good deal of courage will make a great man as such a man will have the spirit to pursue his goals and the sense to act responsibly in the process.
1. The writer mentions Apollo 11 in Paragraph 4 to show that ________.| A．people can overcome fears that life presents |
| B．people should not be overly afraid of the unknown areas |
| C．exploring the space is a good way to overcome fears |
| D．exploration helps us to realize our dreams |
| A．Failure in business can lead to good results. |
| B．Fear can help people learn to behave properly. |
| C．Failure in studies can help the students make great progress. |
| D．Fear of failure in studies can encourage students to study hard. |
| A．To advise us to be neither overly fearful nor completely fearless. |
| B．To explain why a little amount of fear is of benefit to people. |
| C．To introduce the ways of preventing us from being overly fearful. |
| D．To encourage us to overcome fears and act responsibly. |
【推荐1】Wearing a mask while sleeping at home sounds a little crazy. But Wu Keying did so during the novel coronavirus outbreak. “I feared that I would be infected. Now I know it’s not necessary to do so. But I am still worried about when the epidemic will end,” said the 13-year-old from Chengdu, Sichuan province. Being stuck inside makes her feel anxious.
In fact, many people have experienced feelings like Wu. Nearly 80 percent of people are deeply worried about the outbreak, while 40percent strongly fear it, according to a survey released on Jan 27 by the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.
These emotions (情绪) are normal for people who are going through stressful events, according to Wang Weihua, an expert on positive psychology (积极心理学). “Some stressful reactions (反应) can help us fight the virus,” Wang said. “We take more protective actions, such as wearing masks and washing hands often, for example.”
But if these feelings last too long, it will be bad for our mental (心理的) health, Wang added. So how can we stay positive?
First, we should learn to accept unexpected changes in life, wrote Xiong Kewei, a psychological consultant (咨询师) at Beijing Normal University. We might learn new lessons from these changes, like respecting (尊重) nature and being more responsible (有担当的).
Another useful way to stay positive is to stick to a normal routine (正常作息).
“The key is to take good care of the body, arrange a reasonable schedule, ensure adequate sleep and diet, and get the necessary rest and relaxation,” Zhang Hong, deputy chief physician of Wuhan Mental Health Center, told China Daily.
1. Wu Keying wore a mask while sleeping because ________.| A．her parents told her to do so |
| B．it’s the best way to avoid infection |
| C．one of her family members was infected |
| D．she was scared of being infected |
| A．Many people feel worried about the virus. |
| B．We shouldn’t worry too much about the virus. |
| C．Only 40 percent of people worry about the outbreak. |
| D．More than 80 percent of people wear masks while sleeping. |
a. wearing masks
b. being stress-free
c. staying positive
d. washing our hands
| A．abc | B．abd | C．acd | D．bcd |
| A．how to stay away from the coronavirus | B．how psychologists helped patients |
| C．suggestions on how to stay positive | D．how to receive psychological counseling |
Denmark is neither the richest nor the biggest country. So, what makes its 5.7 million people so happy?
The country is famous for its welfare system（福利体系）, that includes health care and education. But besides that, the main reason Danish people are so happy is because of their lifestyle.
Have you heard of the word “hygge”?In English, it can be translated into comfort. But hygge is more than that-having a tasty meal with family, talking with friends under the sunshine on weekends, enjoying music, or having a movie night. All these things can be called hygge, which is Danish people’s everyday life.
Danish people also have a healthy habit-riding bikes. In Denmark’s capital, Copenhagen, bikes are used about 50 percent of the time on the way to school or work. Biking is not only helpful to protect the environment. It is also good for people’s health. Just 30 minutes of biking every day adds about one to two years to person’s lifetime.
Trust is also important for Danish people. They trust others and people they don’t even know. In Aarhus, the second biggest city of Denmark, you can see people buy flowers even when the owner isn’t there. People just put money in the empty flowerpot. Trust helps make people happy.
“The Danish have no great expectations about what they will do or what will happen to them,” Kaire Christensen, a university teacher said, “They are happy with what they have.”
1. What does the underlined word“that”Paragraph 3 refer to?
| A．Good education. | B．Health care. | C．Welfare system. | D．Small population. |
| A．Working hard at weekends. |
| B．Enjoying music with friends. |
| C．Staying up late studying at night. |
| D．Spending a lot of time on business meals. |
| A．They have high expectations about the future. |
| B．There is a nice environment without pollution. |
| C．People trust each other, including the strangers. |
| D．It is a must to ride bikes to work or school every day. |
| A．The welfare system in Denmark | B．The happy lifestyle in Denmark. |
| C．The happiest place in Denmark | D．The expectations in Denmark. |
【推荐3】Birthdays are celebrated all over the world． Some traditions are rather similar from one country to another： candles， cakes and birthday wishes． But there are also different ways to celebrate birthdays．
Here are a few：
Argentina （阿根廷）： In Argentina， as in many Latin American countries， one of the most important birthday parties is a girl's fifteenth． When girls turn 15， they have a huge party and dance first with their fathers， and then the boys at the part．
China： The birthday child receives presents from the parents． Friends and family members are invited to dinner， and noodles are served to wish the birthday child a long life．
Denmark（丹麦）： A flag is flown outside a window to show that someone who lives in that house is celebrating the birthday． Presents are placed around the child's bed while he is sleeping so he can see them immediately when he wakes up．
Holland （荷兰）： The birthday child receives an especially large present． The family also put flowers or balloons on the birthday child's chair to make it beautiful．
India： Usually Indian children wear white to school． However， the birthday child wears colored clothes to school and gives out chocolates to everyone in the class． His/Her best friend helps do this．
Japan： The birthday child wears new clothes to mark the special time． Certain birthdays are more important than others and these are celebrated with a visit to the shrine（神殿）．These are the third and seventh birthdays for girls and the fifth for boys．
根据短文内容，选出最佳选项
1. The birthday child can see the presents in Denmark．
| A．at the party |
| B．outside a window |
| C．on the chair |
| D．around the bed |
| A．food or drinks |
| B．flowers or balloons |
| C．books or clothes |
| D．Noodles or chocolates |
| A．Argentina |
| B．China |
| C．India |
| D．Japan |
| A．fifteenth |
| B．third |
| C．seventh |
| D．fifth |
| A．birthday traditions in different countries |
| B．similar birthday traditions in some countries |
| C．children's birthdays in western countries |
| D．the importance of children's birthdays |
