My fiance(未婚夫) and I were excited about shopping for our first home. But our funds were limited, and none of the houses in our price range seemed satisfactory.
One agent recommended a house in particular. Although her description sounded wonderful, the price was beyond our range, so we declined(谢绝). But she kept urging us to have a look at last.
We finally did and it was love at first sight. It was our home, small and charming, overlooking a quiet lake. Walking through the rooms and talking with the owners, a nice elderly couple, we felt the warmth and happiness of the marriage within that home. As perfect as it was, the price remained too high for us. But every day, we would sit by the lake, looking at the house and dreaming of what it would be like to live there. Days later, we made an offer—far below the asking price. Surprisingly, they didn’t laugh at us. They renewed their offer instead. It was also much more than we could afford, but far less than the original asking price.
The next day, we got a disappointing message that another buyer had offered a much higher price. Even so, we decided to talk with the owners directly. We made our final offer, which still was thousands of dollars less than the other buyer’s bid(出价). We knew it, but we had to try. Nobody knew if we could get it.
注意:1. 所续写的短文的词数应为150词左右;
2. 应使用5个以上短文中标有下划线的关键词语;
3. 续写部分分为两段,每段的开头语已为你写好;
4. 续写完成后,请用下划线标出你所使用的关键词语。
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We went to the owner’s home after we made our final offer.
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Paragraph 2:
The owner looked at us and said, “
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2 . You probably laugh at something you find funny, but how much do you really know about jokes and humour? Reader's Digest (RD) questioned several experts to give us some facts about them.
RD: What’s the oldest joke in the world?
“We can't know the oldest joke in the world because it would have existed earlier than writing,” says Christie Davies, professor of sociology at the University of Reading in the UK. The oldest joke book that's been found so far is the Greek Philogelos. It dates from the 4th century AD, although the jokes date from an earlier time. According to psychologist Steve Wilson, director of National Humor Month (April in the US), it contains 265 jokes.
RD: Do some people fail to develop a sense of humour?
Rod Martin, professor of psychology at the Western University in Canada, believes that while everyone is born without a sense of humour, as we develop, humour and laughter begin to appear. “Of course, some children are more serious, quiet, and less likely to laugh frequently, but this doesn't mean they don't have a sense of humour.” And according to Steve Wilson, there are no adults who don't have a sense of humour. “Almost everyone is able to develop a sense of humour, and I teach people how,” he says.
RD: Do people share a sense of humour unique to their own nation?
Sense of humour does differ a lot by country, according to an author named Scott Weems. British humour is thought to be absurd (荒谬的) in nature, while American humour has an aggressive quality. According to a study, Germans are found to find everything funny.
1. What do we know about the oldest joke book?A.It remains unknown. | B.It was written in Greek. |
C.It was found in the UK. | D.It contains the oldest joke. |
A.Nobody is born with a sense of humour. |
B.Some adults lose it when they grow up. |
C.Childhood is the best time to develop such ability. |
D.Children have a poorer sense of humour than adults. |
A.British humour. | B.German humour. |
C.Canadian humour. | D.American humour. |
A.In a popular magazine. | B.In a research paper. |
C.In a personal diary. | D.In a textbook. |
3 . Enjoy a fun day out at Alton Towers, the UK's most popular theme park with lots of great rides, including the six biggest roller coasters.
• Open every day from the 21st of March until the 8th of November.
• First admission is at 9.30 am, with rides opening at 10 am.
• Usually closed between 5 pm and 6 pm.
Tickets
Gate Price Online Price
Adult £58.80 £50.28
Child £52.80 £44.88
Thorpe Park
As the UK's most exciting theme park, Thorpe Park is perfect for an exciting family day out. Great rides include Slammer and Tidal Wave alongside fantastic roller coasters.
• Open every day from the 12th of March until the 8th of November.
• First admission is at 10 am.
• Usually closed between 5 pm and 7 pm.
Tickets
Gate Price Online Price
Adult £56.00 £49.78
Child £51.00 £49.78
Drayton Manor
As the UK's largest family owned theme park, Drayton Manor is home to a lot of exciting attractions with roller coasters, zoo and Thomas Land.
Tickets
Gate Price Online Price
Adult £36.00 £27.75
Child £5.00 £5.00
• Open most days from the 21st of March until the 1st of November.
• First admission is at 9.30 am, with rides from 10.30 am, and closing time is usually 5 pm.
Chessington World of Adventures Resort
Chessington World of Adventures Resort is the UK's greatest family theme park. A fantastic day out with a great mix of rides. Chessington Zoo has lots of animals plus a Sea Life Centre.
• Open every day from the 18th of March until the 2nd of November.
• First admission is at 10 am.
• Closing times are usually between 5 pm and 7 pm.
Tickets
Gate Price Online Price
Adult £52.00 £46.22
Child £48.00 £42.67
1. If a couple buy their tickets for Alton Towers on the Internet, they can save _____.A.£7.92 | B.£8.52 |
C.£16.44 | D.£17.04 |
A.It has a zoo. | B.It is owned by a family. |
C.It offers some exciting rides. | D.It is suitable for a whole family. |
A.Thorpe Park. | B.Alton Towers. |
C.Drayton Manor. | D.Chessington World of Adventures Resort. |
4 . There was once a lonely girl who wanted love very much. One day while she was walking in the woods she found two birds.
The fastest way to lose love is to hold on too tight; the best way to keep love is to give it wings!
A.One day the girl left the door to the cage open. |
B.She lifted him from the cage and freed him. |
C.She took them home and put them in a small cage. |
D.The birds were so beautiful that she loved them very much. |
E.She wanted the bird to be happy. |
F.She realized her mistake. |
G.However, when she opened her hand, she found the bird had died. |
5 . If you do not use your arms or your legs for some time, they become weak; when you start using them again, they slowly become strong again. Everybody knows this, and nobody would think of questioning this fact.
If a friend complains that his arms are weak, we know that it is his own fault. But if he tells us that he has a poor memory, many of us think that his parents are to blame, or that he is just unlucky, and few of us realize that it is just as much his own fault as if it was his arms or legs that were weak.
Have you ever noticed that people who cannot read or write usually have better memories than those who can?
A.What do you think of it? |
B.Yet many people do not seem to know that the memory works in the same way. |
C.Not all of us can become extremely strong or extremely clever. |
D.So if you want a good memory, practice remembering. |
E.Someone else says that he is poor in health. |
F.Why is this? |
G.The position is exactly the same as that of two people. |
6 . Here are some top tips for world travelers.
Travel light.
Transport sense.Don’t let go of your bags on the train.
Keep clean. It’s a good idea to wear dark clothes because they hide the dirt while white clothes attract it! Make sure you have plenty of clean underclothes and deodorant (除臭剂).
A.Be polite. |
B.Keep your documents safe. |
C.You should carry a spare bag. |
D.You don’t want to smell bad! |
E.Keep them with you at all times. |
F.Make sure your bag isn’t too heavy. |
G.It’s a good idea to wear similar clothes to the local people. |
7 . If you are planning on traveling,there are a few simple rules about how to make life easier both before and after your journey.
First of all,always check and doublecheck departure (出发) time.It is surprising how few people really do this carefully.Once I arrived at the airport a few minutes after ten.My secretary had got the ticket for me and I thought she had said that the plane left at 10:50.When I arrived at the airport,the person at the departure desk told me that my flight was closed.Therefore,I had to wait three hours for the next one and missed an important meeting.
The second rule is to remember that even in this age of credit cards (信用卡),it is still important to have some local money in cash (现金).Once I arrived at a place at midnight and the bank at the airport was closed.The only way to get to my hotel was by taxi but because I had no dollars,I offered to pay in pounds instead.“Listen!I only take real money!”the driver said angrily.You can imagine how terrible I felt at that moment.
The third and the last rule is to find out as much as you can about the weather at your destination before you leave.I feel sorry for some of my workmates who travel in heavy suits and raincoats in May,when it is still fairly cool in London or Manchester,to places like Athens,Rome or Madrid,where it is already beginning to get quite warm during the day.
1. Where is the writer most probably from?A.Britain. | B.The USA. |
C.Italy. | D.Greece. |
A.asked the driver to give him a free ride |
B.offered to pay in pounds |
C.gave the driver some fake (假的) money |
D.tried to pay by credit card |
A.warm and dry | B.cold and dry |
C.hot and wet | D.cool and rainy |
A.how to make life easier |
B.how to be well prepared for a trip |
C.how to enjoy ourselves on the trip |
D.how to schedule our trip |
8 . Body language is the quiet, secret and most powerful language of all! It speaks
Clearly, a great deal is going on when people
A.straighter | B.louder | C.harder | D.further |
A.sounds | B.invitations | C.feelings | D.messages |
A.hope | B.receive | C.discover | D.mean |
A.immediate | B.misleading | C.important | D.difficult |
A.well | B.far | C.much | D.long |
A.For example | B.Thus | C.However | D.In short |
A.trade | B.distance | C.connections | D.greetings |
A.eye | B.verbal | C.bodily | D.telephone |
A.strangers | B.relatives | C.neighbors | D.enemies |
A.in other words | B.on the other hand | C.in a similar way | D.by all means |
A.trouble | B.conversation | C.silence | D.experiment |
A.disturbing | B.helping | C.guiding | D.following |
A.closer | B.faster | C.in | D.away |
A.stepping forward | B.going on | C.backing away | D.coming out |
A.weakness | B.carelessness | C.friendliness | D.coldness |
A.talk | B.travel | C.laugh | D.think |
A.different | B.European | C.Latino | D.rich |
A.curiosity | B.excitement | C.misunderstanding | D.nervousness |
A.chance | B.time | C.result | D.advice |
A.noticed | B.treated | C.respected | D.pleased |
假如你是新华中学的学生张华,班里从外地转来一名同学李明,他一时无法融入新的班集体中,感到很苦恼。请根据下列要点用英语给他写封信:
*帮他分析原因
*给他提出建议
*陈述你帮助他的具体打算
注意:词数120~150
Dear Li Ming,
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Best regards,
Zhang Hua