The first charity shop was opened in 1947 by Oxfam. The famous charity’s appeal to aid postwar Greece had been so successful that it had been flooded with donations( 捐赠物 ). They decided do set up a shop to sell some of these donations to raise money for that appeal. Now there are over 7,000 charity shops in the UK. My favorite charity shop in my hometown is the Red Cross shop, where I always find children’s books, all 10 or 20 pence each.

Most of the people working in the charity shops are volunteers, although there is often a manager who gets paid. Over 90% of the goods in the charity shops are donated by the public. Every morning you see bags of unwanted items outside the front of shops, although they don’t encourage this, rather ask people to bring things in when the shop is open.

The shops have very low running costs: all profits go to charity work. Charity shops raise more than ￡ 100 million a year, funding( 帮助 ) medical research, overseas aid, supporting sick and poor children, homeless and disabled people, and much more. What better place to spend your money? You get something special for a very good price and a good moral sense. You provide funds to a good cause and tread lightly on the environment.

1 ． The author loves the charity shop mainly because of .

A ． its convenient location B ． its great variety of goods

C ． its spirit of goodwill D ． its nice shopping environment

2 ． The first charity shop in the UK was set up to .

A ． sell cheap products B ． deal with unwanted things

C ． raise money for patients D ． help a foreign country

3 ． Which of the following may be the best title for the passage?

A ． What to Buy at Charity Shops.

B ． Charity Shop: Its Origin & Development.

C ． Charity Shop: Where You Buy to Donate.

D ． The Public’s Concern about Charity Shops.

It's easy to find reasons to allow some physical punishments. One is that many parents find it very difficult to abandon physical punishment completely. Parents argue that this was the way they were brought up and that it did not do any harm to them. They believe that for the child's sake they have the right to discipline the child in any way they consider fit, including using some physical punishments.The other one is that physical punishment can be quick and effective.There is not much point reasoning with a screaming child in the supermarket.

However, there are several reasons why we should stop using physical punishment. One point is that most parents are not trained to deal with misbehaving children. They don't have enough resources or choices to handle the situation.As a result, they immediately react by hitting the child even if there are other solutions to the problem. Another point is that unless people are challenged or forced to change their belief, they may keep following negative habits. An example is seat belt use.Now most people wear seat belts without thinking, while years ago the idea of using seat belts was strange to most people. In the same way, banning physical punishment will force people to change their habit.

In conclusion, parents have to change some of their belief and ideas about how children should be raised.It's possible to avoid the use of physical force, and doing so will help us move closer to the dream of removing violence from our society.

1 ． According to the first paragraph, many parents think that .

A ． physical punishment is effective to educate their children

B ． they have changed their attitudes over the past few years

C ． they are allowed to use physical punishment on their children

D ． most of the children behave badly in their daily life

2 ． Many parents won't give up physical punishment because .

A ． they were raised just in the same way

B ． they don't have enough resources or choices to handle the situation

C ． they don't want to hurt their children badly

D ． they are disappointed with their children

3 ． The author gives the example of using seat belts in order to show .

A ． it's not difficult to change some negative habits

B ． seat belts are really necessary and essential

C ． most people are accustomed to wearing seat belts

D ． people won't change their old habits unless forced

4 ． The main purpose of the author in writing this passage is to .

A ． talk about a ban on using physical punishment

B ． advise parents to give up using physical punishment

C ． tell us we should educate our children in other ways

D ． suggest physical punishment shouldn't be used at school

“We do a very good job in America in preparing people for the kinds of jobs that do exist and will exist in the future, but we do a pretty bad job at actually illuminating pathways from that great preparation to get into the careers that follow,” said Debra W. Stewart, CGS president. “On the one hand, we have companies telling us, ‘Where are these people? We need them; we need to hire them.’ And on the other hand, we find students telling us, ‘I can't find jobs.’ Now, most of these students do find jobs, but we make the match very difficult.”

The survey found that students typically receive most of their career advice from their teachers, who in turn are more likely to recommend academic careers than careers in industry, the nonprofit sector or government.

The survey also found that employers outside of academia commonly lament the lack of “soft skills” among new hires, including difficulties in communication, working with people outside one's field, teamwork, and project management.

“Universities should do a better job in instilling those soft skills into their students before they graduate,” Debra W. Stewart said, “And employers should make students aware of job opportunities beyond university walls.” “We need teachers to engage in questions such as,‘ What are we teaching them? How is this going to translate into a living?’” He added.

1 ． What can we know from the passage?

A ． U.S. universities do well in helping students find jobs.

B ． U.S. universities do well in sending graduates to companies.

C ． U.S. universities do badly in preparing students for future careers.

D ． U.S. universities do badly in helping graduates connect with firms.

2 ． University teachers usually recommend their students for the positions in ________.

A ． academia B ． industry C ． the government D ． the nonprofit sector

3 ． The person who has “soft skills” can do the following EXCEPT________.

A ． cooperate with team members B ． manage a large company well

C ． work with people of different occupations D ． communicate with others with no difficulty

4 ． According to the passage, employers should make students know________.

A ． what they can do in society B ． job opportunities outside universities

C ． how to translate knowledge into benefits D ． the difficulties they will face outside universities

Cantonese cuisine from Singapore used to be famous across Asia for its high-quality ingredients and beautiful presentation, but after working in Beijing for several years, Singaporean chef Goh Wooi Cheat firmly believes that “the future of Cantonese cuisine lies in China”.

All the finest ingredients from around the world can be now found in China and the chefs’ presentation skills are improving fast,” the 56-year-old chef says.

Goh’s ancestors moved to Malaysia from Guangdong Province, so he has been familiar with Cantonese cuisine since childhood. Growing up in Penang, Goh remembers always hearing about cuisines, portions, ingredients and seasoning ( 调味品 ) at home, because his family ran a catering business. He moved to Singapore and became an apprentice ( 学徒 ) Cantonese chef in 1983, becoming an executive chef 10 years later. He also worked in five-star hotels in Indonesia for a couple of years, where Cantonese wedding banquets were an important element.

In 2011, Goh received a job offer from Beijing, which he promptly accepted. “I felt proud of returning to China, the land where my ancestors come from—especially since I believe that real Chinese cuisine should be served to Chinese people,” Goh says.

But Goh also thinks that some classic Cantonese dishes are outdated, prompting him to create new dishes that still manage to honor tradition while appealing to contemporary diners. To add one new dish to the menu, Gob would refine it over time repeatedly, gathering feedback from his customers to continue enhancing the dish to reach a level of perfection both in terms of taste and presentation.

A dish can be described as delicious only if it’s accepted and enjoyed by every guest—and not just by food experts,” he says. Goh also believes that chefs must develop their own cooking style, especially in Cantonese cuisine; otherwise the chefs who always follow tradition may find themselves left behind.

1 ． What can we learn about Goh from the passage?

A ． His ancestors were native Malaysians.

B ． His family once ran a restaurant business.

C ． He became an executive chef in Singapore ten years ago.

D ． To create new dishes, he gave up some classic Cantonese dishes.

2 ． The underlined word “refine” in the sixth paragraph can be replaced by .

A ． shift B ． improve C ． prove D ． refresh

3 ． Which of the following best describes Goh as a chef?

A ． Narrow-minded. B ． Traditional.

C ． Humorous. D ． Creative.

4 ． In Goh’s opinion, a chef should .

A ． set himself apart with a distinctive cooking style

B ． focus on improving his presentation skills

C ． stay up to date and get rid of tradition

D ． be able to identify the finest cooking ingredients

Have you ever visited a garden that seemed just right for you, where the atmosphere of the garden appeared to total more than the sum( 总和 ) of its parts? 1 ． . But it doesn’t happen by accident. It starts with looking inside yourself and understanding who you are with respect to the natural world and how you approach the gardening process.

● 2 ．

Some people may think that a garden is no more than plants, flowers, patterns and masses of color. Others are concerned about using gardening methods that require less water and fewer fertilizers ( 肥料 ). 3 ． . However, there are a number of other reasons that might explain why you want to garden. One of them comes from our earliest years.

●Recall( 回忆 ) your childhood memories

Our model of what a garden should be often goes back to childhood. Grandma’s rose garden and Dad’s vegetable garden might be good or bad, but that’s not what’s important. 4 ． — how being in those gardens made us feel. If you’d like to build a powerful bond with your garden, start by taking some time to recall the gardens of your youth. 5 ． . Then go outside and work out a plan to translate your childhood memories into your grown-up garden. Have fun.

A ． Know why you garden

B ． Find a good place for your own garden

C ． It’s our experience of the garden that matters

D ． It’s delightful to see so many beautiful flowers

E.Still others may simply enjoy being outdoors and close to plants

F.You can produce that kind of magical quality in your own garden, too

G.For each of those gardens, write down the strongest memory you have