修改时间：2024-07-13 浏览次数：279 类型：期中考试
If you have a chance to go to Finland, you will probably be surprised to find how "foolish" the Finnish people are.
Take the taxi drivers for example. Taxis in Finland are mostly high-class Benz with a fare of two US dollars a kilometer. You can go anywhere in one, tell the driver to drop you at any place, say that you have some business to attend to, and then walk off without paying your fare. The driver would not show the least sign of anxiety.
The dining rooms in all big hotels not only serve their guests, but also serve outside diners. Hotel guests have their meals free, so they naturally go to the free dining rooms to have their meals. The most they would do to show their good faith is to wave their registration card to the waiter. With such a loose check, you can easily use any old registration card to take a couple of friends to dine free of charge.
The Finnish workers are paid by the hour. They are very much on their own as soon as they have agreed with the boss on the rate. From then on they just say how many hours they have worked and they will be paid accordingly.
With so many loopholes in everyday life, surely Finland must be a heaven to those who love to take "petty advantages". But the strange thing is, all the taxi passengers would always come back to pay their fare after they have attended to their business; not a single outsider has ever been found in the free hotel dining rooms. And workers always give an honest account of the exact hours they put in. As the Finns always act on good faith in everything they do, living in such a society has turned everyone into a real "gentleman".
One advantage of the Internet is shopping conveniently online for clothes; one disadvantage of the Internet is also shopping conveniently online for clothes.
"Nothing fits," said Lam Yuk Wong, a senior in electrical and computer engineering at Rice University. "Everyone says this. They order clothes and they don't fit. People get very unhappy."
Wong and her design partner, Xuaner "Cecilia" Zhang, are Team White Mirror, creators of what they call a "virtual (虚拟)fitting room". Their goal is simple and consumer-friendly: to let online clothing shoppers have a perfect fit and a perfect look when shopping every time. Both women are from China, Wong from Hong Kong and Zhang from Beijing. They both order most of their clothing online. They got the idea from their own experience as consumers and from listening to the complaints of friends and relatives. They say, 'The color is wrong' or 'I got the right size but it still does not fit.' We want to make it like you're in the store trying on the clothes," Zhang said.
Using a Kinect developed by Microsoft for use with its Xbox 360 video game player, Zhang scans Wong and turns her image into, in effect, a virtual model, keeping Wong's dimensions (尺寸), and even her skin and hair color.
"We put the clothes on the shopper's 3-D body models and show how they look when they are dressed," Wong said. So far, Wong and Zhang have adapted the software to show dresses and shirts, and they are now working on shorts.
Asked if she thought men as well as women might be interested in using their virtual fitting room, Wong said, "I think their wives will care about this, so it will also be important to men."
After moving to the United States, immigrant groups trying to fit in tend to choose high calorie fatty foods in an attempt to appear more American, a new study finds. That's one reason why immigrants approach US levels of obesity within 15 years of moving to America.
The researchers also did an experiment that measured whether or not the threat of appearing un-American influenced respondents' food choices. After being questioned about their ability to speak English 75 percent of Asian-Americans identified a typical American food as their favorite. Only 25 percent of Asian-Americans who had not been asked if they spoke English did the same.
When their American identity was called into question during a follow-up study, Asian-American participants also tended to choose typical American dishes, such as hamburgers and cheese sandwiches. In that experiment, 55 Asian-Americans were asked to choose a meal from a local Asian or American restaurant. Some participants were told that only Americans could participate in the study. Those who chose the more typical American fare ended up consuming an extra 182 calories, including 12 grams of fat and 7 grams of saturated fat (饱和脂肪).
"People who feel like they need to prove they belong to a culture will change their habits in an attempt to fit in," said Sauna Cheryan, an author of the study and assistant professor of psychology at the University of Washington.
"If immigrants and their children choose unhealthy American foods over healthier traditional foods across their lives, this process of fitting in could lead to poorer health." Cheryan added.
Social pressures, the study concluded, are at the heart of the problem. "In American society today, being American is associated with being white. Americans, who don't fit this image even if they were born here and speak English, feel that pressure to prove that they're American," said Cheryan.
Eyesight plays a very important role in our daily life. Every waking moment, the eyes are working to see the world around us. Over forty percent of Americans worry about losing eyesight, but it's easy to include steps into our daily life to ensure healthy eyes. Here are five suggestions for a lifetime of healthy eyesight：
Schedule yearly exams. Experts advise parents to bring babies 6 to 12 months of age to the doctor for a careful check. The good news is that millions of children now can have yearly eye exams and following treatment, including eyeglasses.
Protect against UV rays (紫外线). Long term stay in the sun creates risk to your eyes. No matter what the season is, it's extremely important to wear sunglasses.
Give your eyes a break. Two thirds of Americans spend up to seven hours a day using computers or other digital products. Experts recommend that people practice the 20/20/20 rule: every 20 minutes, take a 20second break and look at something 20 feet away.
As part of a healthy diet, eat more fruits and vegetables each day. Vitamins C and E help protect eyesight and promote eye health.
Practice safe wear and care of contact lenses (隐形眼镜). Many Americans use contact lenses to improve their eyesight. While some follow the medical guidance for wearing contact lenses, many are breaking the rules and putting their eyesight at risk. Otherwise, you may have problems such as red eyes, pain in the eyes, or a more serious condition.
A．Eat your greens.
B．Eye care should begin early in life.
C．They can properly protect your eyes.
D．Stay in good shape by taking more vitamins.
E．Parents usually don't care about their own eyesight.
F．Always follow the doctor's advice for appropriate wear.
G．This frequent eye activity increases the risk for eye tiredness.
When I was 13 my only purpose was to become the star on our football team. That meant 1 Miller King, who was the best 2 at our school.
Football season started in September and all summer long I worked out. I carried my football everywhere for 3.
Just before September, Miller was struck by a car and lost his right arm. I went to see him after he came back from 4. He looked very 5, but he didn't cry.
That season, I 6 all of Miller's records while he 7 the home games from the bench. We went 10-1 and I was named most valuable player,8 I often had crazy dreams in which I was to blame for Miller's 9.
One afternoon, I was crossing the field to go home and saw Miller 10 going over a fence—which wasn't 11 to climb if you had both arms. I'm sure I was the last person in the world he wanted to accept 12 from. But even that challenge he accepted. I 13 him move slowly over the fence. When we were finally 14 on the other side, he said to me, "You know, I didn't tell you this during the season, but you did 15 .Thank you for filling in for 16."
His words freed me from my bad 17. I thought to myself, how even without an arm he was more of a leader. Damaged but not defeated, he was 18 ahead of me. I was right to have 19 him. From that day on, I grew 20 and a little more real.
Many times we spare no effort at work, (offer) hours of overtime by ignoring our family life. We spend time with people who we have nothing in common with, and attend social (activity) we have no interest . We always find ourselves living our lives in the way that pleases and impresses others instead of being ourselves. In fact, for the majority of people, they only think about (they) 99% of the time, and (rare) give us a second thought, as a result of we often end up unhappy and feeling out of place.
In view of this, it's time to think about ourselves, our own family, and start creating a future (base) on our own likes and dislikes. , think it over next time when we are required to work overtime. Trying to be a loving parent or good friend (be) very likely to give us far more (please) and a feeling of security, connection and belonging.
Jenny was the only child in her family. She had a quarrel with her mother that afternoon and she ran out of the house angrily. She couldn't help weeping(哭泣) sorrowfully(悲伤地) when she thought of the scolding(责骂) from her mother. Having wandered(游荡) aimlessly in the street for hours, she felt a little hungry and wished for something to eat. She stood beside a stand(货摊) for a while, watching the middle-aged seller busy doing his business. However, with no money in hand, she gave a sigh(叹气) and had to leave. The seller behind the stand noticed the young girl and asked, "Hey, girl, you want to have the noodles?" "Oh, yes, but I don't have money on me," she replied.
"That's nothing. I'll treat you today," said the man "Come in." The seller brought her a bowl of noodles, the smell so attractive. As she was eating, Jenny cried silently. "What is it?" asked the man kindly. "Nothing. Actually I was just touched by your kindness!" said Jenny as she wiped(擦拭) her tears. "Even a stranger on the street will give me a bowl of noodles, while my mother drove me out of the house. She showed no care for me. She is so merciless(无情的) compared to a stranger!" Hearing the words, the seller smiled, "Girl, do you really think so? I only gave you a bowl of noodles and you thanked me a lot. But it is your mother who has raised you since you were a baby. Can you number the times she cooked for you? Have you expressed your gratitude(感激) to her?" Jenny sat there, speechless and numb(麻木的) with shock; she remembered her mother's familiar face and weathered (变形)hands. "Why didn't I think of that? A bowl of noodles from a stranger made me feel indebted(感激的). Why haven't I thanked my mum for what she has done for me?" On the way home, Jenny made up her mind to make an apology to her mother for her rudeness as soon as she arrived home.
注意：1）所续写短文的词数应为150左右;
2）至少使用5个短文中标有下划线的关键词语;
3）续写部分分为两段,每段的开头语已为你写好;
4）续写完成后,请用下划线标出你所使用的关键词语。
Paragraph 1:
Approaching the doorway, 
Paragraph 2:
A gentle touch on her hair called her mind back.
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