1 . My son’s seventh birthday is approaching, so conversation at my house has naturally turned to organizing his party.
For his sixth birthday, we booked the local trampoline(蹦床) park. This worked out well. But the whole event cost us hundreds of pounds. This year, I’m trying to convince him that the dinosaur-themed park down the road offers just as much fun—and you don’t even need to wear special socks! This will be cheaper, because we aren’t required to hire a space—we can simply buy tickets for his mates.
But I still keep pondering over one thing—party bags. Why should a bunch of seven-year-olds, who have already been treated to a day out and a mountain of sugar, also be handed a bag full of pound-shop gifts for simply bothering to show up?
Party bags are an environmental disaster. I reckon my son attends 20 parties per year, and at each party there are 20 kids in attendance, which means 400 plastic bags in total. Within these 400 bags are perhaps 800 plastic toys, almost all of which fall apart on the journey home and then get binned instantly. The waste is shocking, and I don’t want to be part of it.
I know there are some party bag alternatives: one couple I know covered a table with Mr. Men books and got the kids to choose one each. At another party, I saw the hosts fill a bucket with soft toys and crumpled newspaper, and do a lucky dip (抽奖). Admirable efforts.
Even if that is a nice try, and even if the contents in the party bags don’t fall apart, so what? Will our guests think more highly of our child because of the party bags from our party? Will my child’s ability to make and keep friends be improved?
Well, the tradition for kid’s party bags ends with me, and it ends here, and it ends now. Who’s with me?
1. Why does the author recommend the dinosaur-themed park?A.Because it’s more enjoyable. | B.Because it provides socks. |
C.Because it can reduce cost. | D.Because it offers free tickets. |
A.Gifts brought by guests. | B.Gifts prepared by hosts. |
C.Gifts distributed by parks. | D.Gift a donated by charities. |
A.Intolerant. | B.Objective. | C.Favorable. | D.In different. |
A.Be recycled. | B.Be repaired. | C.Be thrown away. | D.Be given away. |
1. What day is it today?
A.Saturday. | B.Friday. | C.Thursday. |
A.A goodbye party. | B.A welcome party. | C.A birthday party. |
A.She can take the subway. | B.She doesn’t have a license. | C.She is not skilled enough to drive. |
A.The wooden boat. | B.Chocolate. | C.Some flowers. |
A.Help her move house. |
B.Help her prepare for a party. |
C.Go to a housewarming party. |
That year, my father worked abroad — and couldn’t come back for Christmas. My mother, sister and I had to make our own Christmas decorations.
My mother and I dragged in the final section of our seven-foot artificial Christmas tree from the garage. Before setting the tree in its stand, we moved our sofa over so we would have the room needed for our large tree to fit in the living room. In a moment, we would form the branches that would hold our decorations.
Everything was going smoothly, and my sister announced the stand was ready. Mother and I lifted the bottom section of the tree and were about to place it into the stand when I heard a scream. It was so loud that I assumed someone had broken into our home.
“A mouse! A mouse!” screamed my sister. She screamed just as loud, and jumped up on the sofa as the baby mouse ran to one side of our living room and then the other. Because of the loud screams, the mouse was frightened. The little creature had obviously found a home in our Christmas tree. Once we brought the tree inside and opened the branches, the baby mouse fell out of its temporary home and ran across our living room.
“Get the mouse!” my sister screamed.
It was so tiny and quick that I wasn’t sure what to do. I tried grabbing its long gray tail, but it slipped away. Then I ran to our bedroom and came back with an empty shoebox and a fly swatter (蝇拍). My plan was to stun (打晕) the little mouse and put it in the box.
I was about to hit it with the swatter when my sister shouted out, “Don’t kill it! It’s a baby and kind of cute.” My mother agreed with her, and I could tell by its frightened eyes that the little mouse did, too.
注意:
1.续写词数应为150左右;
2.请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。
As I saw the fear in the mouse’s eyes, I gained some Christmas sympathy.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
I asked my mother and sister if they wanted to say goodbye to the mouse.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
1. Who is Thomson?
A.A cook. | B.The man’s cousin. | C.Linda’s husband. |
A.40. | B.35. | C.25. |
A.She won’t be invited to the party. |
B.She doesn’t eat chicken. |
C.She is a good cook. |
1. What is the relationship between the speakers?
A.Housemates. | B.Colleagues. | C.Classmates. |
A.About 10:00 p. m. | B.About 8:00 p. m. | C.About 6:00 p. m. |
A.iPod. | B.Beer. | C.Juice. |
May 21st this year marks the first International Tea Day, which
The chairman of the China Culture Promotion Society addressed the opening ceremony. “As a main promoter of the International Tea Day, the birthplace of tea and the
The “First International Tea Day Tea Road Cooperative Initiative” issued (发布) at the ceremony calls for people working in the tea industry to come together to promote (促进) international cooperation
The Chinese Ancient Tea Museum was
1. What can people do in the “Gravity Chair”?
A.Experience spacewalk. | B.Sleep in a special bed. | C.See a rocket take off. |
A.Visitors must build a rocket. |
B.Children under nine can’t take part. |
C.People have to eat freeze-dried food. |
A.$325. | B.$575. | C.$875 |
A.Camp activities. | B.Astronauts’ life. | C.Space travel. |
1. What kind of party will the girl have?
A.A pool party. | B.An. ice-skating party. | C.A roller-skating party. |
A.Melinda. | B.Kelly. | C.Mike. |
A.How much to spend. | B.How to decorate a place. | C.Where to rent winter animals. |
10 . Agnes Lloyd’s 70th birthday came, but the day went normally. Her husband
The last bell of the day rang. She picked up her
The thought made her smile as she
Her students were standing there carrying birthday signs. She hadn’t
As the song continued, tears
Some of the students parted and her three children stepped out holding a birthday cake with two
Don’t forget your parents,
A.showed up | B.set out | C.fell ill | D.passed away |
A.worrying | B.depressing | C.surprising | D.puzzling |
A.purse | B.book | C.chair | D.food |
A.recognize | B.admire | C.demand | D.recommend |
A.promised | B.ignored | C.deserved | D.permitted |
A.approached | B.discovered | C.started | D.touched |
A.moved | B.frightened | C.delighted | D.satisfied |
A.disturbed | B.inspired | C.amused | D.shocked |
A.mentioned | B.realized | C.doubted | D.admitted |
A.followed | B.invited | C.guided | D.introduced |
A.gathered | B.dried | C.disappeared | D.remained |
A.gradually | B.frequently | C.secretly | D.suddenly |
A.presents | B.flowers | C.candles | D.cards |
A.strength | B.enthusiasm | C.calmness | D.interest |
A.as if | B.even if | C.so that | D.now that |