Hobbs was an orphan(孤儿). He worked in a factory and every day he got a little money. Hard work made him thin and weak. He wanted to borrow a lot of money to learn to paint pictures, but he did not think he could pay off the debts.

One day a lawyer said to him, “One thousand dollars, and here is the money.”As Hobbs took the package of notes, he was very dumbfounded. He didn't know where the money came from and how to spend it. He said to himself, “I could go to find a hotel and live like a rich man for a few days; or I give up my work in the factory and do what I'd like to do: painting pictures. I could do that for a few weeks, but what would I do after that? I should have lost my place in the factory and have no money to live on. If it were a little less money, I would buy a new coat, or a radio, or give a dinner to my friends. If it were more, I could give up the work and pay for painting pictures. But it's too much for one and too little for the other.”

“Here is the reading of your uncle's will(遗嘱)”，said the lawyer, “telling what is to be done with this money after his death. I must ask you to remember one point. Your uncle has said you must bring me a paper showing exactly what you did with his money, as soon as you have spent it.”

“Yes, I see. I'll do that，” said the young man.

1．Hobbs wanted to borrow money to ________.

A. learn to paint pictures                        B. work abroad

C. pay off the debts                               D. study abroad．

2．What does the underlined word “dumbfounded”(in Paragraph 2) probably mean?

A．Satisfied           B．Frightened      C．Surprised          D．Excited

3．With the money he got, at first Hobbs ________.

A．planned to have a happy life for a few days

B．decided to give up his work in the factory

C．was to give a dinner to his friends

D．had no idea what to do

4．Hobbs was asked to ________.

A．tell the lawyer what was to be done with the money

B．read his uncle's will

C．tell the lawyer what he did with the money after spending it

D．buy some pictures

In ancient Egypt, a shopkeeper discovered that he could attract customers to his shop simply by making changes to its environment. Modern businesses have been following his lead, with more tactics（策略）.

One tactic involves where to display the goods. Foe example, stores place fruits and vegetables in the first section. They know that customers who buy the healthy food first will feel happy so that they will buy more junk food later in their trip. In department stores, the women’s shoe section is generally next to the women’s cosmetics(化妆品) section：while the shop assistant is going back to find the right size shoe, bored customers are likely to wander over cosmetics they might want to try later.

Besides, businesses seek to appeal to customers’ senses. Stores notice that the smell of baked goods encourages shopping, so they make their own bread each morning and then fan the bread smell into the store throughout the day. Music sells goods, too. Researchers in Britain found that when French music was played, sales of French wines went up.

When it comes to the selling of houses, businesses also use highly rewarding tactics. They find that customers make decisions in the first few seconds upon walking in the door, and turn it into a business opportunity. A California builder designed the structure of its houses smartly. When entering the house, the customer would see the Pacific Ocean through the windows, and then the pool through an open stairway leading to the lower level. The instant view of water on both levels helped sell these $10 million houses.

5. Why do stores usually display fruits and vegetables in the first section?

  A. To save customers times.

  B. To show they are high quality foods.

  C. To sell them at discount prices

  D. To help sell junk food.

6. According to Paragraph 3, which of the following encourages customers to buy?

  A. Opening the store early in the morning.

  B. Filling the store with the smell of fresh bread

  C. Inviting customers to play music.

  D. Displaying British wines next to French ones.

7. What is the California builder’s story intended to prove?

  A. A good first impression increases sales

  B. The more expensive the house is, the better it sells.

  C. An ocean view is much to the customers’ taste.

  D. The house structure is a key factor customers consider.

8. What is the main purpose of the passage?

  A. To show dishonest business practices.

  B. To report researches on customer behavior.

  C. To introduces how businesses have grown from the past.

  D. To explain how businesses turn people into their customers.

The Cambridge Science Festival Curiosity Challenge

Dare to Take the Curiosity Challenge!

The Cambridge Science Festival (CSF) is pleased to inform you of the sixth annual Curiosity Challenge. The challenge invites, even dares school students between the ages of 5 and 14 to create artwork or a piece of writing that shows their curiosity and how it inspires them to explore their world.

Students are being dared to draw a picture, write an article, take a photo or write a poem that shows what they are curious about. To enter the challenge, all artwork or pieces of writing should be sent to the Cambridge Science Festival, MIT Museum, 265 Mass Avenue, Cambridge 02139 by Friday, February 8th.

Students who enter the Curiosity Challenge and are selected as winners will be honored at a special ceremony during the CSF on Sunday, April 21st. Guest speakers will also present prizes to the students. Winning entries will be published in a book. Student entries will be exhibited and prizes will be given. Families of those who take part will be included in the celebration and brunch will be served.

Between March 10th and March 15th, each winner will be given the specifics of the closing ceremony and the Curiosity Challenge celebration. The program guidelines and other related information are available at：http：//cambridgesciencefestival.org.

9. Who can take part in the Curiosity Challenge?

A. Cambridge locals    B. School students.    C. CSF winners.     D. MIT artists.

10. When will the prize-giving ceremony be held?

A. On February 8th.       B. On March 10th.    C. On April 21st.        D. On March 15th

11. What type of writing is this text?

A. An exhibition guide.                B. An art show review.

C. An announcement.                          D. An official report.

   When did you last see a polar bear? On a trip to a zoo, perhaps? If you had attended a winter activity in New York a few years ago, you would have seen a whole polar bear club. These "Polar Bears" are people who meet frequently in the winter to swim in freezing cold water. That day, the air temperature was 3℃, and the water temperature was a bit higher. The members of the Polar Bear Club at Coney Island, New York are usually about the age of 60. Members must satisfy two requirements. First, they must get along well with everyone else in the group. This is very important because there are so many different kinds of people in the club. Polar Bears must also agree to swim outdoors at least twice a month from November through February.
　　Doctors do not agree about the medical effects of cold-water swimming. Some are worried about the dangers of a condition in which the body's temperature drops so low that finally the heart stops. Other doctors, however, point out that there is more danger of a heart attack during summer swimming because the difference between the air temperature and water temperature is much greater in summer than in winter.
    The Polar Bears themselves are satisfied with the benefits (or advantages) of cold-water swimming. They say that their favorite form of exercise is very good for the circulatory system（循环系统）because it forces the blood to move fast to keep the body warm. Cold-water swimmers usually turn bright red after a few minutes in the water. A person who turns blue probably has a very poor circulatory system and should not try cold-water swimming.
　　The main benefits (or advantages) of cold-water swimming are probably mental. The Polar Bears love to swim year-round; they find it fun and relaxing. As one 70-year-old woman says. "When I go into the water, I pour my troubles into the ocean and let them float away."
12. The members of the Polar Bear Club must meet the following requirements except     

that __________.
   A. they must reach the age of 60
   B. they should be easy to make friends with
   C. they must swim outdoors at least 8 times in the four cold months

D. they must agree to swim outdoors from November through February
13. Doctors __________.
   A. encourage people to take part in cold-water swimming actively
   B. point out the possible danger of blood illness during cold-water swimming

C. believe swimming is helpful both in winter and in summer

D. have different ideas about the medical effects of cold-water swimming
14. The Polar Bears like to swim all the year round, for __________.
   A. they can remain young           

B. it is an easy way to keep the body warm in winter

C. they find it enjoyable and interesting  

D. they might meet fewer troubles in life
15. The passage is mainly about __________.
   A. a group of cold-water swimming lovers    
   B. the polar bears' life  
   C. doctors' ideas about cold-water swimming   
   D. the requirements of the Polar Bear Club          

Tips for Cooking on a Tight Schedule

From my experience, there are three main reasons why people don't cook more often: ability, money, and time.  16 . Money is a topic I'll save for another day. So today I want to give you some wisdom about how to make the most of the time you spend in the kitchen. Here are three tips for great cooking on a tight schedule：

1. Think ahead. The moments when I think cooking is a pain are when I'm already hungry and there's nothing ready to eat. So think ahead of the coming week. When will you have time to cook? Do you have the right materials already？ 17 .

   2. Make your time worth it. When you do find time to cook a meal, make the most of it and save yourself time later on. Are you making one loaf of bread?  18.It takes around the same amount of time to make more of something. So save yourself the effort for a future meal.

3.  19  . This may surprise you, but one of the best tools for making cooking worth your time is experimentation. It gives you the chance to hit upon new ideas and recipes that can work well with your appetite and schedule. The more you learn and the more you try, the more ability you have to take control of your food and your schedule.

Hopefully that gives you a good start.  20  . And don't let a busy schedule discourage you from making some great changes in the way you eat and live!

A. Understand your food better.

B. Make three or four instead

C. Ability is easily improved.

D. Try new things

E. A little time planning ahead can save a lot of work later on.

F. Cooking is a burden for many people

G. Let cooking and living simply be a joy rather than a burden.