Some gift companies such as Presents for Purpose allow you to pay it forward this Mother’s Day by
picking gifts, 10 percent of whose price you pay goes to a charity (慈善机构). Gift givers can choose
from a wide variety of useful but inexpensive things — many of which are “green” — and then choose a
meaningful charity from a list. When your mother gets the gift she will be told that she has helped the
chosen charity.
21. What are you advised to do for your mother at doctor’s visits?
A. To take notes. B. To be with her.
C. To buy medicines. D. To give her gifts.
22. Where can you find an idea for gifts to improve your mother’s sleep?
A. In Gift No. 1. B. In Gift No. 2.
C. In Gift No. 3. D. In Gift No. 4.
23. Buying gifts from Presents for Purpose allows mothers to ______.
A. enjoy good sleep. B. be well-organized.
C. get extra support. D. give other help.
B
One afternoon I was sitting at home feeling so bored. Instead of feeling sorry for myself, I wanted to
meet people and have new experiences so I decided to start volunteering. I searched on my computer and
found a website where I could volunteer on a farm in France.
My time working on a farm was a new experience for me. It was basically a free holiday as food and
accommodation were provided. However, it was not my typical holiday as I had to look after fifteen
horses and sleep at the top of a tower in a castle! I was an awful farmer but it did not matter because I
made some great friends. However, you do not need to go abroad to volunteer. I have had plenty of
adventures at home as volunteering can become a hobby. For example, I love singing so I had a good
laugh waving my arms in an attempt to conduct my local choir. I did slowly improve and it felt great to
conduct the choir in a concert. At university, I organized a concert for charity with my friends. It was
really fun finding bands and raising money for a cause we believe in.
It is true that you feel good volunteering but there are also other advantages. I once volunteered as a
server at a charity sports event where the organizers gave me cupcakes to thank me for my services. I also
volunteered in a charity shop so I found loads of nice cheap clothes to update my wardrobe(衣柜).
While this is all fun, my favorite aspect of volunteering is creating and sharing stories. My terrible
attempts at farming have given me hilarious stories to tell! Talking to volunteers from different countries
and backgrounds has also helped me learn more about the world. I feel thankful to have had so much fun
with many nice people thanks to volunteering.
24. Why did the author want to be volunteer?
A. He felt ashamed of himself.
B. He wanted to taste new life and make friends.
C. He wanted to be a farmer.
D. He wanted to go abroad.
25. What volunteering work did the author do?
A. Taking care of sheep. B. Helping in an Italian farm.
C. Helping in a charity shop. D. Conducting a choir in a sports event.
26. The underlined word “hilarious” in the last paragraph is closest in meaning to“_____”.
A. sad. B. critical. C. awful. D. funny.
27. How does the author feel according to the last paragraph?
A. Grateful. B. Anxious. C. Curious. D. Cautious.
C
Television will turn 85 years old on September 7, 2012, and it has never looked better. In its youth,
television was a piece of furniture with a tiny, round screen showing unclear pictures of low-budget
programs. In spite of its shortcomings, it became popular. Between 1950 and 1963, the number of
American families with a television jumped from 9% to 92% of the population.
As the audience got larger, the technology got better. Television sets became more reliable through
the 1960s. The reception improved. The picture improved. The major networks started broadcasting
programs in color.
Even greater improvements were coming according to Sanford Brown, who wrote an article for the
Post in 1967. Surprisingly, just about every prediction he made in the article became a reality. For
example: All sets in the not-distant future will be color instruments. He also predicted that TV sets would
become smaller, simpler, more reliable and less expensive and may forever put the TV repairman out of
work. Smaller sets do not, of course, mean smaller screens. TV engineers expect screens to get much
bigger. However, today’s 3-D TV is even farther away, if it’s coming at all. There is some doubt whether
the public would be eager to pay for it, in view of people’s cold reception given to 3-D movies.
But the technology with the greatest potential, according to Brown, was cable television(有线电视),
which was still in its early stages then. As he predicted, the future of cable television was highly
interactive. It wasn’t cable television that gave Americans their electronic connection to the world,
however. It was the Internet. He even foresaw the future office: using picture phones, big-screen
televisions for conferences, and computers providing information at the touch of a button.
Brown ever said, “The future of television is no longer a question of what we can invent. It’s a
question of what we want.”
28.What can we infer about television sets in the 1960s?
A. They showed black-and-white pictures.
B. The reception showed no improvement.
C. They were very popular with Americans.
D. They were out of order now and then.
29. According to Sanford Brown, the television of the future would be _____.
A. less expensive. B. more complex.
C. cheap to repair. D. larger and larger.
30. Which of the followings did Sanford Brown fail to predict?