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Every New Year’s Eve in the past, we had breakfast at Aunt Dot' s house. My most vivid __ of the meal was the centerpiece (中心装饰品)that Aunt Dot always __ on her kitchen table — seven sets of salt and pepper shakers. It wasn’ t until years later that I finally asked Aunt Dot about the unusual centerpiece.
She was then 87 but she __ invited us to the last breakfast of the year. I had __ early that morning to help with the meal __ . Though weak, Aunt Dot was __ stirring (揽伴) pancake batter (糊状物)as she __ my question. “You know I arrange those salt and pepper shakers on the table every single year.”
“I know,” I said, __ plates on the table. “But __ do you always do that on New Year’s Eve morning?”
“It helps to remind me that __ the holidays are over, there’s another whole year of them coming,” Aunt Dot said thoughtfully.
I nodded __, “I guess that makes sense.”
“Let me tell you something more,” she said. “I’ve learned over my many tears that nothing really __ ; every ending in life is really just another new __ .”She pointed at me with the batter-covered spoon. “__ that, my dear.”
"I will," I told her.
In the spring of that year, after a short illness, Aunt Dot passed away. To my __ , I got the holiday salt and pepper shakers which I thought would be given to her own children. I __ Aunt Dot wanted to make sure I remembered her philosophy (生活信条）.
I continued Aunt Dot' s breakfast __ at my own apartment with the salt and pepper shakers centerpiece __ .The pancakes are never as delicious as Aunt Dot’s, __ the center of the table is covered with those old salt and pepper shakers, __ us all that every ending is really just another beginning.
1.A. dream B. memory C. mind D. worry
2.A. changed B. listed C. arranged D. cooked
3.A. still B. even C. ever D. just
4.A. come through B. come up C. come over D. come across
5.A. orders B. purchases C. shares D. preparations
6.A. enthusiastically B. nervously C. sadly D. bravely
7.A. went through B. figured out C. replied to D. made out
8.A. removing B. appreciating C. washing D. setting
9.A. when B. why C. what D. where
10.A. now that B. in case C. as though D. even if
11.A. in vain B. in doubt C. in agreement D. in demand
12.A. ignores B. stops C. requires D. lives
13.A. beginning B. surviving C. challenging D. escaping
14.A. Remember B. Forgive C. Forget D. Experience
15.A. disappointment B. surprise C. sadness D. relief
16.A. find B. decide C. guess D. notice
17.A. principle B. method C. law D. tradition
18.A. under control B. broken C. changed D. in place
19.A. but B. so C. and D. for
20.A. announcing B. reminding C. persuading D. suggesting
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Every New Year's Eve in the past, we had breakfast at Aunt Dot's house. My most vivid
____of the meal was the centerpiece（中心装饰品）that Aunt Dot always ______ on her kitchen table-seven sets of salt and pepper shakers. It wasn't until years later that I finally asked Aunt Dot about the unusual centerpiece.
She was then 87 but she______invited us to the last breakfast of the year. I had ______early that morning to help with the meal______．Though weak, Aunt Dot was______stirring（搅拌）pancake batter(糊状物)as she______my question. "You know I arra
nge those salt and pepper shakers on the table every single year.”
“I know," I said,_______plates on the table. "But______do you always do that on New Year's Eve morning?"
“It helps to remind me that_______the holidays are over, there's another whole year of them coming," Aunt Dot said thoughtfully.
I nodded________,"1 guess that makes sense. "
"Let me tell you something more," she said.“I’ve learned over my many Tears that nothing really______; every ending in life is really just another new______. " She pointed at me with the batter-covered spoon. "_______ that, my dear. "
"I will," I told her.
In the spring of that year, after a short illness, Aunt Dot passed away. To my_____, I got the holiday salt and pepper shakers which I thought would be given to her own children. I_______Aunt Dot wanted to make sure I remembered her philosophy.
I continued Aunt Dot's breakfast_____ at my own apartment with the salt and pepper shakers centerpiece______. The pancakes are never as delicious as Aunt Dot's,______the center of the table is covered with those old salt and pepper shakers,______us all that every ending is really just another beginning.
1.A. dream B. memory C. mind D. worry
2.A. changed B. listed C. arranged D. cooked
3.A. still B. even C. ever D. just
4.A. come through B. come up C. come over D. come across
5.A. orders B. purchases C. shares D. preparations
6.A. enthusiastically B. nervously C. sadly D. bravely
7.A. went through B. figured out C. replied to D. made out
8.A. removing B. appreciating C. washing D. setting
9.A. when B. why C. what D. where
10.A. now that B. in case C. as though D. even if'
11.A. in vain B. in doubt C. in agreement D. in demand
12.A. ignores B. stops C. requires D. lives
13.A. beginning B. surviving C. challenging D. escaping
14.A. Remember B. Forgive C. Forget D. Experience
15.A. disappointment B. surprise C. sadness D. relief
16.A. find B. decide C. guess D. notice
17.A. principle B. method C. law D. tradition
18.A. under control B. broken C. changed D. in place
19.A. but B. so C. and D. for
20.A. announcing B. reminding C. persuading D. suggesting
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(Reuters) --- A stampede（蜂拥） killed at least 36 people during New Year's Eve celebrations in Shanghai, authorities said, but the police denied reports that it was caused by people rushing to pick up fake money thrown from a building overlooking the city's famous waterfront.
It was the worst disaster in the modern city since 58 died in an apartment building fire in 2010.
The cause of the crush has still to be confirmed, though state media and some witnesses have said it was at least partly aroused when people rushed to pick up coupons that looked like bank notes.
A man named Wu said the fake money had been thrown down from a bar above the street as part of the celebrations.
"This incident happened after the stampede," police said in a brief statement, without saying what the real cause was.
Another witness said there had been a problem away from the area where the fake bills were thrown, with people trying to get on to a raised platform overlooking the river.
Xinhua news agency said that people had been trampled on after falling down on the steps up to the platform.
Authorities had shown some concern about crowd control in the days leading up to New Year's Eve. They recently canceled an annual 3D laser（激光器） show on the Bund, which last year attracted as many as 300,000 people.
On New Year's Eve, Beijing also canceled a countdown event in the central business district, Chinese media said, due to police fears about overcrowding.
The Shanghai government said on its official microblog that an inquiry had begun, and that all other New Year events had been canceled.
In 2004, 37 people died in a stampede in northern Beijing, on a bridge at a scenic spot, during the Lunar New Year holiday.
1.According to the passage, why did people go to the Bund?
A. To meet their old friends and relatives.
B. To watch an annual 3D laser show.
C. To celebrate the New Year’s Eve.
D. To pick up bank notes.
2.What can be inferred according to the passage?
A. People like 3D laser show better than any other events.
B. Some possible measures had been taken by authorities.
C. The local government had shown their worry about overcrowding.
D. The celebrations in Beijing were influenced by this stampede.
3.What’s the passage about?
A. A stampede on New Year’s Eve in Shanghai.
B. A laser show on the Bund.
C. An apartment fire in Shanghai.
D.A countdown event in Beijing.
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(Reuters) --- A stampede killed at least 36 people during New Year's Eve celebrations in Shanghai, authorities said, but the police denied reports that it was caused by people rushing to pick up fake money thrown from a building overlooking the city's famous waterfront.
It was the worst disaster in the modern city since 58 died in an apartment building fire in 2010.
The cause of the crush has still to be confirmed, though state media and some witnesses have said it was at least partly aroused when people rushed to pick up coupons that looked like bank notes.
A man named Wu said the fake money had been thrown down from a bar above the street as part of the celebrations.
"This incident happened after the stampede," police said in a brief statement, without saying what the real cause was.
Another witness said there had been a problem away from the area where the fake bills were thrown, with people trying to get on to a raised platform overlooking the river.
Xinhua news agency said that people had been trampled on after falling down on the steps up to the platform.
Authorities had shown some concern about crowd control in the days leading up to New Year's Eve. They recently canceled an annual 3D laser show on the Bund, which last year attracted as many as 300,000 people.
On New Year's Eve, Beijing also canceled a countdown event in the central business district, Chinese media said, due to police fears about overcrowding.
The Shanghai government said on its official microblog that an inquiry had begun, and that all other New Year events had been canceled.
In 2004, 37 people died in a stampede in northern Beijing, on a bridge at a scenic spot, during the Lunar New Year holiday.
1.According to the passage, why did people go to the Bund?
A. To meet their old friends and relatives.
B. To celebrate the New Year’s Eve.
C. To watch an annual 3D laser show.
D. To pick up bank notes.
2.What can be inferred according to the passage?
A. Some possible measures had been taken by authorities.
B. People like 3D laser show better than any other events.
C. The local government had shown their worry about overcrowding.
D. The celebrations in Beijing were influenced by this stampede.
3.What’s the passage about?
A. A countdown event in Beijing.
B. A laser show on the Bund.
C. An apartment fire in Shanghai.
D. A stampede on New Year’s Eve in Shanghai.
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A recent survey shows that the question ________ New Year’s Eve should be included in the three-day New Year’s holiday caused heated discussion among the Internet users.
A. that B. how C. where D. whether
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What I wish I had known at 18
As this year’s new intake of students begin university life, we asked speakers at the FT’s Weekend Festival — authors, comedians, academics and FT columnists — to tell us what they wish they had known when they were 18, and for their tips on getting the most out of university.
Martin Wolf, FT chief economics commentator
The answer to that question ‘what do you wish you had known at 18?’ is nothing. I already knew that university was going to be very exciting, intellectually rewarding as it turned out to be for me — I was at Oxford for six years. It changed me very profoundly intellectually. I’m sure I didn’t know what was going to happen to me and if I look back on my life now — this is more than 50 years ago — all pleasure and excitement comes out of the things you never expected.
Jamie Susskind, barrister and author of ‘Future Politics’
The first people you meet are not necessarily going to be your best friends - don’t worry about it. Don’t get caught up in trying to go to the parties everyone’s expected to go to, rather, try to find people with whom you can forge close connections and who will be with you decades afterwards. You may identify them by doing more listening than speaking. When a lot of people get to university, understandably, they want to tell their new friends who they are and where they are from — but it’s as important to listen, and drink in all these incredibly different people from backgrounds that are completely unlike your own.
Phil Wang, comedian
Break up with your girlfriend or boyfriend, don’t stay together. Leave everyone behind. Your love is not special, there’s a wider world out there and you should take advantage of it. Also, join some societies. I didn’t do that, and I wish I had. It’s possible to feel that you don’t deserve to be there. You should be aware that everybody feels that way. Either have a balanced experience or excel at something, but don’t be mediocre at one thing. If you’re going to be average, at least be average at a bunch of things so you have a full experience.
1.We can learn from the second paragraph that Martin thinks his university life was _____.
A.Nothing special. B.Totally unexpected.
C.Interesting and rewarding. D.Confusing.
2.According to Jamie, how can we make friends in a university?
A.Develop close relationship with the first people we meet.
B.Go to parties as more as possible.
C.Tell others our personal stories.
D.Listen to others and be friends with people different from us.
3.What does the underlined word “mediocre” mean in the fourth paragraph?
A.common B.normal C.content D.bored
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SHANGHAI (Reuters) - A stampede（踩踏）killed at least 35 people and injured 43 during New Year's Eve celebrations in Shanghai, on the city's popular waterfront tourist attraction known as the Bund（外滩）, authorities said.
The Shanghai government said that large crowds started to stampede in Chen Yi Square on the Bund just before midnight, with authorities working to rescue and aid the wounded.
It was not immediately clear what triggered the stampede. The official Xinhua news agency said many of the injured were students.
The government said on its official microblog（微博） that an inquiry had begun, with city leaders rushing to the scene and to hospitals to visit the injured. An emergency meeting would be held to ensure stepped-up safety measures were taken throughout the city.
Photographs on Weibo, the Chinese version of Twitter, showed densely packed crowds of revelers（狂欢者）along the Bund, which is lined with buildings from Shanghai's pre-communist period on the bank of the Huangpu River.
In some photographs, rescue workers were seen trying to resuscitate victims lying on the pavement while ambulances waited nearby.
Authorities had shown some concern about crowd control in the days leading up to New Year's Eve. They recently canceled an annual 3D laser show on the Bund that last year attracted as many as 300,000 people.
At dawn on Thursday, there were still small crowds of revelers trying to find taxis home and workers were clearing up trash strewn around the Bund. There was little sign of the mayhem that had broken out just hours earlier.
(Reporting by Ben Blanchard and Pete Sweeney; Editing by Howard Goller and Mark Bendeich)
1.What is the passage mainly about?
A. An accident that killed some people.
B. A new-year celebration.
C. A popular tourist attraction in Shanghai.
D. Some old buildings along the Huangpu River.
2. Which of the following statements is NOT TRUE?
A. The reason of the stampede was not clearly known.
B. At dawn on Thursday, no one could be seen around the Bund.
C. The city leaders were busy visiting the injured in hospitals.
D. The 3D laser show on the Bund had been put on every year.
3.What can be inferred from the passage?
A. All the injured students will return to school soon.
B. There will be stricter rules concerning public safety throughout the city.
C. It will be impossible to find out the reason of the accident.
D. People didn’t know that the 3D laser show had been cancelled.
4. Where can you most probably find the passage?
A. From a science text book.
B. From a traveler’s journal.
C. From a government document.
D. From a news website.
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On New Year’s Eve, I came across an old couple at a secondhand store. They moved slowly around me _______something.
“Can I help you?” I asked.
They stopped, looked at me and said, “We’re looking for _______ things that look new.”
Then they _______ . I didn’t. It must have been a private joke between them.
Noticing I looked _______, the man explained, “Look, every new year in the past we _______ to begin the year with new things. It was a goal to surround ourselves with things _______ and new so that we had new direction, new hopes and dreams for the _______ ahead.”
“How did that _______?” I asked.
“Well, after so many years, we discovered it really got us _______,” the woman said.
“Then why do you ________at a secondhand store? Are things bad financially?”
“No, not at all. We just discovered that things don’t have to be ________but to be of great value. ________ it’s old, it’s new to someone who ________ saw it before,” the man said.
“So, each year now we search for things that are ________ to others but mean the world to us,” the woman added.
This couple had spent most of their lives ________ that there was power in “things” and on New Year’s Eve, they should ________ old things and be surrounded with new things. They spent most of their lives believing that by doing so, their life was going to change magically.
________, the truth is, there really isn’t anything different from one day to the next, one year to the next, except for your ________ to it. Everything is there waiting to be ________, so everything is old until you see it for the first time.
I have learned a ________ that day and it has been the best New Year gift I have ever received.
1.A.in search of B.in charge of C.in memory of D.in support of
2.A.strange B.cheap C.old D.pretty
3.A.laughed B.nodded C.shouted D.apologized
4.A.shocked B.worried C.puzzled D.annoyed
5.A.promised B.tried C.struggled D.failed
6.A.fresh B.familiar C.interesting D.useful
7.A.way B.year C.goal D.chance
8.A.carry out B.pick out C.work out D.come out
9.A.somewhere B.anywhere C.nowhere D.everywhere
10.A.work B.volunteer C.stay D.shop
11.A.outstanding B.attractive C.depressive D.expensive
12.A.Even though B.Now that C.If only D.Ever since
13.A.seldom B.never C.sometimes D.often
14.A.common B.funny C.valueless D.harmless
15.A.believing B.proving C.explaining D.arguing
16.A.take hold of B.get rid of C.pay attention to D.put up with
17.A.Therefore B.Moreover C.Otherwise D.However
18.A.approach B.attitude C.contribution D.introduction
19.A.bought B.remembered C.improved D.discovered
20.A.word B.skill C.fact D.lesson
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It was New Year’s Night. An aged man was standing at a window. He had already sixty of the stages leading to it, and he had brought from his journey nothing but errors and remorse.
The days of his appeared like dreams before him, and he recalled the moment when his father placed him at the entrance of the two roads.—one leading to a peaceful, sunny place, with flowers, fruits and resounding with soft, sweet songs ; the other leading to a deep, dark cave, which was endless.
He looked towards the sky and cried , “ Oh, my youth, return! Oh ,my , place me once more at the entrance to life, and I ’ll the better way!” But both his father and the days of his youth had passed away.
The clock in the high church tower struck and the sound made him remember his early love for him. They had taught him and prayed to God for his good. But he chose the wrong way. His darkened eyes were full of , and with a despairing effort , he burst out a cry, “Come back, my early days! Come back!”
And his youth did return, for all this was only a which he had on New Year’s Night.
Those who still linger on the of life, hesitating to choose the bright road, remember that when years pass away and your stumble on the dark mountains, you will cry bitterly, but in vain, “Oh , my youth, return! Oh , give me back my early days! ”
1. A. brought B. passed C. paid D. took
2.A. youth B. age C. work D. future
3.A .happy B. serious C. dangerous D. terrible
4.A. placed B. smiled C. covered D. put
5.A. painfully B. carefully C. faithfully D. terribly
6.A. mother B. father C. sister D. brother
7.A.talk B. write C. advise D. choose
8.A.sisters’ B. parents’ C.teachers’ D. brothers’
9.A. jobs B. talks C. tears D. clothes
10.A. story B. dream C. chance D. joke
11.A. entrance B. building C. street D. way
12.A. teeth B. hands C. heads D.feet
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Great places where you can travel for the coming 2020 New Year’s Eve you'll never forget:
Sydney
Sydney, Australia, is the first major international city to greet the New Year at midnight. The major fireworks display takes place at Sydney Harbour with the Opera House and Harbour Bridge providing a spectacular (壮观的) backdrop.
Taipei, Taiwan
New Year’s Eve in Taipei, the capital city of the island of Taiwan, is a visual spectacle. The city’s tallest building, Taipei 101, is the launching pad for an unforgettable fireworks show. Prime spots to take in the event include National Dr. Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall and the Xinyi Commercial District, which gets quite crowded.
Cape Town
Cape Town is one of the most beautifully situated cities in Africa and the world. New Year’s Eve fireworks make it all the more spectacular. If you’re looking for a place with delicious food and a view of the festivities, Baia Seafood Restaurant is a good choice. If you’re in the mood for a party, Cape Point Vineyards is one of many places to consider.
Las Vegas
Vegas is lit up year-round, but it goes all out for New Year’s Eve. The street is closed off to vehicles, and pedestrians take over for an unforgettable festival. At midnight, various casinos (赌场) launch an impressive fireworks off the roofs of their buildings.
For further information, you can click on here, the website https: //edition. cnn. com/travel/
1.Where do the major fireworks display take place in Sydney?
A.Sydney Harbour. B.The Opera House.
C.Harbour Bridge. D.Taipei 101.
2.Which of the following places is almost lighted throughout the year?
A.Sydney. B.Taipei.
C.Cape Town. D.Las Vegas.
3.Where would you be most likely to find the text?
A.On a website. B.On a notice board.
C.In a company brochure. D.In a college newspaper.
nge those salt and pepper shakers on the table every single year.”