1、综合训练Passage1Valentines Day probably has its origin in the ancient Roman celebration called Lupercalia(牧神节) . It was celebrated on February 15. In the Roman calendar February was in the spring. The celebration honored the gods Lupercus and Faunus as well as the twin brothers Romulus and Remus, the le
2、gendary founders of Rome. As part of the ceremony the priests paired up young man and women. The girls names were placed in a box and each boy drew a girls name. The couple was paired then until the next Lupercalia. In 260AD the emperor Claudius II, called Claudius the Cruel, decided that young sold
3、iers would only be distracted by marriage and so ordered that young men may not marry. Valentinus( Valentine), a Christian priest, defied the emperor and got married in secret. He was caught executed(处死)，on February 14, the eve of Lupercalia. His name became associated with young love forever after.
4、 In 496, Pope Gelasius set aside February 14 to honor him as Saint Valentine and it has been St. Valentines Day ever since. In the Middle Ages, some of the customs of the Lupercalia still persisted in spite of the attempts of the Church to put an end to these non-Christian customs and Christianize t
5、he holiday. Both men and women drew names from a bowl to see who their valentines would be. They would wear the names on their sleeves for a week. Today we still sometimes “wear our hearts on our sleeves” when we cannot conceal our feelings.In the 1600s, it became common to give flowers, particularl
6、y the rose, as a sign of love as the “language of flowers”. This came to Europe from Turkey. The color and placement of rose held a special significance- a red rose, for example, meant beauty. Flowers have been part of Valentines Day ever since.Passage2We received your letter dated 2nd July, express
7、ing your dissatisfaction with the present level of your sales in Nigeria. We shall try to explain as briefly as possible how it is that your competitors are doing so well so that you may see why it is that we are not. We shall also suggest ways of improving the present situation. Our difficulties ma
8、y be summarized as follows :1. Our competitors pay for extensive advertising in newspapers and magazines that reach every corner of Nigeria. We receive no financial help for advertising and do not receive sufficient commission to pay for it ourselves.2. the company referred to in your letter sent a
9、two-man team on a tour of six provinces in a specially equipped lorry containing the models they wished to publicize. Their agent had arranged displays in the towns they were due to visit and had announced them in the local press. With such backing from the manufacturer ,high sales are inevitable !3
10、. What sells well in Europe does not necessarily sell well elsewhere. Your competitors know this and plan accordingly. they give maximum publicity to three or four models that are sure to sell well here. We would suggest that you do the same and concentrate on the 98cc Speedy, the 250cc Hunter and t
11、he 350cc Hawk.4. In spite of the excellent containership service between England and West Africa we are still having to wait for too long for orders to be shipped. Once they have placed an order, customers are impatient to receive it. Our present commission of 10/00 does not allow us to undertake sa
12、les tours in other regions. Nigeria covers an area of over 350 , 000 square miles and our present commission will not stand the expense of such trips.Passage3Most Americans will tell you that character education in schools is a good idea. According to pollsters (做民意测验的人), 90% of us want schools to t
13、each core moral values. But what should character education look like And more important, does it work Take a look at Traut Core Knowledge School in Fort Collins, Colo. Traut Core is a public school with a waiting list of 500 students A strong focus on 12 core values throughout the school culture ha
14、s contributed to high academic achievement as Traut Core. The school now ranks first in reading and in the top five in math out of the 26 schools in the district. Private schools are also on the list. The Montrose School in Natick, Mass. has daily homerooms that focus on character discussions and le
15、adership, and the school provides many opportunities for service to others. At Montrose, moral development is inseparable from academic achievement. Wake County Public Schools in North Carolina is a case study in how to get comprehensive character education programs going in every school. Beginning
16、in 1992, the district appointed a task force with broad representation from the community. Public meetings were held, surveys sent out, and other efforts made to ensure that character education in the schools would be built on eh shared moral values of the citizens in this large and diverse district
17、. Today, character education is part of the mission of every Wake County school. The district provides in-service training and resources for teachers, encourages parental involvement and evaluates the results. Higher academic achievement, lower drop-out (辍学) rates, fewer discipline problems, a more
18、positive and caring school environment-who doesnt want schools like these And who wouldnt like to see students who are more caring, respectful, honest and responsible Passage4When I was four, my parents signed me up to take Saturday-morning enrichment classes at Northwestern University. Sometimes I
19、was frustrated, because I felt my parents were making me do something that cut into my time with my friends. I was taking advanced subjects, but I was still just a kid. I felt bad when I said no to Friday-night sleepovers because I had to wake up at 7:30 the next morning. But I also remember coming
20、home in eighth grade and feeling so happy about my philosophy class. Thats when I realized how much Id gained from the investment theyd made in my future.When I was younger, I took piano, dance and violin. I also played soccer, basketball and tennis. And I had the Saturday classes at Northwestern. N
21、ow, at 17, I still have a very full week, which includes being president of the Model UN at my school and tutoring special-needs children.My parents involvement made all this possible for me. I especially remember the driving. Until I got my license, my mother was always driving me everywhere. She b
22、ecame even busier as my brother and sister grew older.Now, I believe its important for parents to support and to take an interest in their children. The world is a lot more competitive than it was when my parents were my age. To get into college, you need more than good grades and high scores. You n
23、eed a deep involvement in extra courses that will set you apart.My activities have helped me focus on my personal goals. Because I was able to study so many areas of interest starting at a very young age, I have learned to push myself to do new things. In 1999 I participated in a student exchange pr
24、ogram in Northern Ireland. I have also taken summer courses in international relations and sociology at the University of Pennsylvania. Without my parents support and encouragement, these would be impossible.Passage5 Big Ben is one of Londons best-known landmarks（标志性建筑）, and looks most spectacular（壮
25、观的）at night when the clock faces are illuminated（被照亮）. The four dials of the clock are 23 feet square, the minute hand is 14 feet long and the figures are 2 feet high. Minutely regulated with a stack of（一堆）coins placed on the huge pendulum（钟摆）, Big Ben is an excellent timekeeper, which has rarely st
26、opped. The name Big Ben actually refers not to the clock-tower itself, but to the thirteen ton bell hung within. The bell was named after the first commissioner of works, Sir Benjamin Hall This bell came originally from the old Palace of Westminster, it was given to the Dean of St. Pauls by William
27、III. The BBC first broadcast the chimes on the 31st December 1923 - there is a microphone in the turret connected to Broadcasting House. During the second world war in 1941, an incendiary bomb（燃烧弹）destroyed the Commons chamber of the Houses of Parliament, but the clock tower remained intact（完好的）and
28、Big Ben continued to keep time and strike away the hours, its unique sound was broadcast to the nation and around the world, a welcome reassurance of hope to all who heardThe Tower of London is a complex located on the Thames River in London. The White Tower, the square building with turrets on each
29、 corner that gave it its name, is actually in the middle of a complex of several buildings, which have served as fortress, armoury, treasury, mint, palace, place of execution, public records office, observatory, refuge, and prison, particularly for upper class prisoners. In 1078 William the Conquero
30、r ordered the White Tower to be built there, as much to protect the Normans from the people of the City of London as to protect London from anyone else. It was King Richard the Lionheart who had the moat dug around the surrounding wall and filled with water from the Thames. A Royal Menagerie was est
31、ablished at the Tower in the 13th century, In 1264 it was moved to the Bulwark, which was duly renamed the Lion Tower, near the main western entrance. It was opened as an occasional publicPassage6One day Walt Disney had a vision. It was a vision of a place where children and parents could havefun to
32、gether. The more Walt dreamed of a magical park, the more imaginative and elaborate it became. The original plans for the park were on 8 acres next to the Burbank studios where his employees andfamilies could go to relax. Although, World War II put those plans on hold. During the war, Disney had time to come up with new ideas, and creations for his magical park. It was soon clear that 8 acreswouldnt be enough. Finally in 1953, he had the Stanford Research Institute conduct a survey for a 100-acre site, outside of Los Angeles. He needed spa
