2017-2018学年福建省永春县第一中学高二下学期期初考试英语试题 Word版

2017-2018学年福建省永春县第一中学高二下学期期初考试英语试题 Word版

‎2017-2018学年福建省永春县第一中学高二下学期期初考试英语（2018.3）‎ 满分150分，考试时间120分钟 第一部分 听力(共两节，满分30分)‎ 第一节 听下面5段对话。每段对话后有一个小题，从题中所给的A、B、C三个选项中选出最佳选项，并标在试卷的相应位置。听完每段对话后，你都有10秒钟的时间来回答有关小题和阅读下一小题。每段对话仅读一遍。‎ ‎1. What will the woman probably do next? ‎ A. Hike down the hill.‎ B. Take out her cell phone.‎ C. Take a picture with her camera.‎ ‎2. Where does the conversation take place? ‎ A. On the telephone. B. In a hospital. C. At a beach. ‎ ‎3. What is the man doing? ‎ A. Asking for advice. B. Giving directions. C. Asking for directions.‎ ‎4. Where does the smell come from? ‎ A. The garbage. B. The cat. C. A dead animal.‎ ‎5. What does the woman mean? ‎ A. The man isn’t able to do the puzzle. ‎ B. She can’t stand by the man anymore. ‎ C. She will not be able to solve the puzzle. ‎ 第二节 听下面5段对话或独白。每段对话或独白后有几个小题，从题中所给的A、B、C三个选项中选出最佳选项，并标在试卷的相应位置。听每段对话或独白前，你将有时间阅读各个小题，每小题5秒钟；听完后，各小题将给出5秒钟的作答时间。每段对话或独白读两遍。‎ 听第6段材料，回答第6、7题。‎ ‎6. What will the woman do tomorrow? ‎ A. Leave for the U.S. by air. ‎ B. Go to a concert with the man. ‎ C. Pick up her friend from the airport.‎ ‎7. What can we learn from the conversation? ‎ A. Professor Smith has bought the tickets. ‎ B. The woman will go to the airport without the man. ‎ C. The woman has canceled her appointment tonight.‎ 听第7段材料，回答第8、9题。‎ ‎8. What did the man find out from his special socks? ‎ A. He needs to run faster. B. He isn’t ready to run a race.‎ C. He wasn’t running in the right position.‎ ‎9. Which competition has the man already participated in? ‎ A. A marathon. B. A half marathon. C. A quarter marathon.‎ 听第8段材料，回答第10至12题。‎ ‎10. What kind of ring will the man buy? ‎ A. One with a thick gold band. B. One with a red stone. C. One made of silver.‎ ‎11. Who is helping the man? ‎ A. A store employee. B. His friend. C. His father.‎ ‎12. What will the man do next? ‎ A. Buy the ring. B. Look at a different ring.‎ C. Take a picture of the ring.‎ 听第9段材料，回答第13至16题。‎ ‎13. Which country did the woman visit? ‎ A. Spain. B. Ireland. C. England.‎ ‎14. How long was the woman abroad? ‎ A. For a few years. B. For six months. C. Just under half a year. ‎ ‎15. Why didn’t the man travel to Brazil? ‎ A. His trip was canceled. B. He couldn’t get the time off work.‎ C. He ran out of money.‎ ‎16. What will the man do next?‎ A. Get a job. B. Find a place to live.‎ C. Introduce the woman to a friend.‎ 听第10段材料，回答第17至20题。‎ ‎17. Who is Jessica? ‎ A. The Helpline officer. B. A university tour guide.‎ C. The Student Union President. ‎ ‎18. What will the speaker hand out? ‎ A. Her business cards. B. Guide brochures. C. Maps.‎ ‎19. What are the hours of the Student Welfare Office? ‎ A. 9:30 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. on weekdays.‎ B. 9:30 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. on Saturdays.‎ C. 10:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. on Saturdays.‎ ‎20. What should visitors do during busy times? ‎ A. Wait in a line. B. Add their name to the waiting list. ‎ C. Ask the speaker to call them back.‎ 第二部分 阅读理解（共两节，满分40分）‎ 第一节（共15小题；每小题2分，满分30分）‎ 阅读下列短文，从每题所给的A、B、C和D四个选项中，选出最佳选项。‎ A You may probably recognize most of the powerful graduation speakers, who are well-known people in their fields, but I think the schools couldn't have picked better speakers than them, because the most important inspiration anyone can ever get is someone who lives his living by example.‎ ‎◎Steve Jobs, Stanford University: ‎ ‎“Remembering you're going to die, the best way I know is to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. There is no reason not to follow your heart. Your ‎ time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don't let the noise of others' opinions drown out your own inner voice...” ‎ ‎◎Oprah Winfrey, Stanford University: ‎ ‎“I consider the world, this Earth, to be like a school... And the secret I've learned to get ahead is being open to the lessons from the grandest universe of all. Don't react against a bad situation. And the solution will arise from the challenge. Because surrendering yourself doesn't mean giving up, it means acting with responsibility.”‎ ‎◎Bono, University of Pennsylvania: ‎ ‎“For four years you've been buying, trading, and selling everything you've got in this marketplace of ideas. Your pockets are full, even if your parents' are empty, and—and now you've got to figure out what to spend it on. ...The world is more flexible than you think and it's waiting for you to hammer it into shape...”‎ ‎◎Michael Dell, University of Texas at Austin: ‎ ‎“Now it's time for you to move on to what's next and obtain your desire. But you must not let anything prevent you from taking those first steps. Don't spend so much time trying to choose the perfect opportunity but you miss the right opportunity. Recognize that there will be failures and obstacles. But you will learn from your mistakes and the mistakes of others." ‎ ‎21. Who wants to express “Don't live your life in regret.”? ‎ A. Michael Dell. B. Bono. C. Steve Jobs. D. Oprah Winfrey. ‎ ‎22. Which of the following can best describe what Oprah Winfrey says? ‎ A. To break some of the rules. ‎ B. To overcome the fear of loss. ‎ C. To go all out to achieve our goals. ‎ D. To be brave and keep trying to the end. ‎ ‎23. What Michael Dell said is to urge people to ________.‎ A. listen to our heart B. pursue our dreams ‎ C. create our own journey D. learn from our mistakes ‎ ‎24. What can we be likely to gain from these powerful graduation speeches? ‎ A. Some life lessons. B. Some personal experiences. ‎ C. Some social skills. D. Some creative ideas.‎ B In today's society, almost half of all marriages in America end in divorce, which means many children have divorced parents. I am by no means a rare case. There are plenty of other people understanding the difficulty of separated parents and living in two households. Despite this, people who haven't personally experienced divorce really have no idea what it's like. ‎ Despite many arguments and conflicts, my parents have handled divorce and joint custody(监护) well, at least better than expected. Occasionally my parents put up the curtain to block my brother and me from the reality and I will get a glimpse of the not-so-bright-and-sunny reality, the fact that my parents simply don’t like each other, let alone get along. They try to make sure my brother and I don't overhear the argument and do their best to keep my brother and me out of their issues. ‎ Last Mother's Day I woke up at my Dad's house with a text message from my Mom saying, “Call me when u can.” I rolled out of bed and dialed her number. On the other end of the phone I could hear my Mom's trembling voice. “Your dad isn't letting me have you until 7 tonight.” I knew Mother's Day is important to her and me. I began to get angry with my Dad, but I told myself that getting mad and fueling my mom's anger towards my Dad wouldn't help. Later my father told me that he had plans to spend time with my Grandma and step-mom for Mother's Day, which I understood and accepted but I also understood why my Mom wouldn't accept it. ‎ While having divorced parents is difficult, I have learned a lot about how to deal with conflict from an early age and I've been blessed with an extremely large family, which is an amazing network of support. ‎ ‎25. The author uses the first paragraph to show us that_______.‎ A. living as a child of divorced parents is normal but not easy ‎ B. the number of divorced parents is increasing rapidly at present ‎ C. people are not aware of what problems divorced parents are facing ‎ D. the experience of being a child of divorced parents is painful but worth ‎ ‎26. We can know that the author's divorced parents try to________.‎ A. build up a good relationship with their children ‎ B. prevent their children getting involved in their affairs ‎ C. inspire their children to be confident about their future ‎ D. prove that they are concerned about their children’s safety ‎ ‎27. The passage implies that the author is ________. ‎ A. naughty and stubborn B. reliable and responsible ‎ C. energetic and creative D. polite and considerate C David Rees runs a truly distinctive business. He charges customers $15 to sharpen their pencils to perfections, using a variety of tools. ‎ I know what you're thinking — is this a joke? The 39-year-old gets asked that question a lot. To clarify everything, he even created a special section on his website telling everyone he's actually providing a real service.‎ You can supply your own pencil or you can have Rees sharpen one of his own favorite 2B pencils. After that, he mails it to you in a display tube with the shavings in a separate bag, and an authentic certificate which just happens to mention the pencil is so sharp as to be a dangerous object.‎ To achieve the desired result, the master sharpener uses all kinds of tools, including general sandpapers, pocket knives and even a special $450 sharpening machine. “It depends on what the customer wants to use his/her pencil for,” he says. “That determines the most appropriate pencil-sharpening technique. Some customers buy pencils as inspirational symbols while others buy them because of their special memories of classic 2B pencils.” ‎ ‎$15 to have a pencil sharpened is a bit expensive though, right? You're not the only one who feels that way, and David's unique business has really angered lots of people, who talk of inequality in America, saying it is so insane for the wealthy to pay $15 to sharpen a pencil. But others will say, “This is just our urge to put an end to the welfare state because new ideas arise along with the business.” ‎ David admits his trade is sort of unusual. But there are those who actually value his service, as proven by the over 500 orders he has gotten. ‎ ‎28. How could David make money by sharpening pencils?‎ A. He invented new tools for the job. ‎ B. He promoted his skill on his website.‎ C. He saved lots of time for other people.‎ D. He provided quality service to his customers.‎ ‎29. From his words, we can infer that David Bees .‎ A. knows all kinds of pencil users ‎ B. provides personalized services C. values ideas behind the pencils ‎ D. always writes with pencils ‎30. What does the underlined word “insane” (in Paragraph 5) mean?‎ A. Deliberate. B. Rewarding. C. Unreasonable. D. Irresponsible.‎ ‎31. What seems to be the author's attitude to David Bees' trade?‎ A. It's a fancy service. B. It has a good reputation.‎ C. It's awfully expensive. D. It wastes time and money.‎ D I am convinced that reading the news is worse than not reading anything at all. There is no proof that it makes us wiser, better decision makers, better informed; nothing if anything, entirely the opposite. If you are anything like me, you’ve already stopped consuming news. ‎ I write about this topic because I got discouraged with that guy who thinks he is very cultured just because he reads the newspaper and with that girl who is very surprised to hear I don't know about the leaked photos of Jennifer Lawrence. But mostly, because I’ve benefited from it. Since I freed myself from the news I feel more in control of my attention, I have better reading habits, and I’m more optimistic. So I decided to do some research about it and was astonished to find more than enough reasons to back up my feeling. ‎ Unlike the limited attention we have to spend on long, deep, intelligent, and quiet content (which is actually important and requires thinking), our brains are excited to pay attention to the flashy, loud, and dramatic. This is the reason why we can swallow ‎ limitless quantities of news flashes. We see news all the time on Facebook and Twitter, each post screaming to get our attention. Information is no longer rare. But attention is. Why give it away so easily? It is worrying that we are spending SO much time skimming through headlines. With so much information, our brain has to form shortcuts to deal with the overload and the distractions, because on top of that, we consume news while multitasking. We listen to the news while driving. We read the newspaper while having breakfast. News breaks our concentration and thins comprehension and the more we consume it, the more we reinforce(强化)this habit．‎ ‎ Above all, we do not recognize the effect that pessimistic content can have on the individual. When you’re exposed to too much negative information it’s easy to see why people say things like “it’s a messed up world out there.” Why make an effort when everything seems out of your control? You might be thinking that news keeps US informed about the world. But has any piece of news changed your life in a way that if you hadn’t read it, your personal or professional life would have been different? ‎ Make a conscious choice about what you consume．‎ ‎32. What does the author think of reading news?‎ ‎ A. Beneficial. B. Harmful. C. Inspiring. D. Dishonest. ‎ ‎33. The underlined “it” in Paragraph 2 refers to the fact that the author_____. ‎ A. has stopped reading news ‎ B. had no idea about Jennifer’s photos ‎ C. got discouraged with the guy ‎ D. knows little about the present world ‎ ‎34. The third paragraph shows that_______. ‎ A. news flashes are significant and exciting ‎ B. people like to focus on long, deep materials ‎ C. news flashes easily attract people’s attention ‎ D. 1acking information is people’s main concern ‎35. The author may agree that_____. ‎ A. people should not read blindly ‎ B. people needn’t try hard in the messy world ‎ C. news keeps us informed about the world D. news is SO important as to change people’s life 第二节（共5小题；每小题2分，满分10分） ‎ 根据短文内容，从短文后的七个选项中选出能填入空白处的最佳选项。选项中有两项为多余选项。 ‎ In the early days of the Ming Dynasty, that is, early in the 15th century, China was an advanced country in the world, with a booming economy and prosperous culture. 36 Between 1405 and 1433, Zheng He was ordered seven times to make voyages to different countries, known as “Zheng He’s voyages to the west seas”.‎ In 1405, a huge fleet of more than 300 ships manned by over 27,800 men set sail from Liujia Harbor near Suzhou on a distant voyage under the command of Zheng He. 37 The fleet sailed along China’s coast to Champa close to Vietnam and after crossing the South China Sea, visited Java, Sumatra and reached Sri Lanka finally. On the way back, it sailed along the west coast of India and returned home in 1407. 38 ‎ In all, he had made calls at over 30 countries and territories. 39 No matter what country he visited, he called on the ruler of the land, presenting to him valuable gifts to express China’s sincere desire to develop friendly relations. 40 They sent the emperor zebras, giraffes, shells, elephant ivory and rhinoceros-horn medicine.‎ The voyages by Zheng He strengthened the friendly relations between China and other countries in Asia and Africa and led to cultural and economic exchange between them. Therefore, his expeditions could rightfully be called “one of greatest achievements in mankind’s history of navigation”.‎ A. Zheng served as commander of the fleet.‎ B. The response of the rulers was very generous.‎ C. On board the ships were large quantities of goods.‎ D. The Great Ming Empire launched a series of marine activities.‎ E. On each voyage, Zheng He acted as the representative of the Ming court.‎ F. All this had taken place about half a century before Columbus’ voyage to America.‎ G. Zheng He’s second and third voyages taken shortly after, followed the same route.‎ 第三部分 语言知识运用（共两节，满分45分）‎ 第一节（共20小题；每小题1.5分，满分30分）阅读下列短文，从短文后各题所给的四个选项（A、B、C、D）中，选出可以填入空白处的最佳选项。 ‎ My grandfather gave me the world when he gave me his love. He would have done anything for me, and he was always 41 to busy himself with some project meant for my 42 . ‎ Summer months meant that I could have more fun on my grandfather’s farm away from the 43 of city life. Only a twenty-minute drive from our home, my mother often made the 44 with me into the company of my 45 . ‎ On one visit that was meant to be short, I enjoyed my childish happiness by 46 snacks and drinks outside my grandparents’ house, where other children 47 to visit friends and family. I was 48 counting the little change though it was far from the aim of my  49 .‎ My enthusiasm was disappearing, however, when my mother approached to remind me of an appointment I knew I would not be 50 to miss. “But who will sit at my lemonade stand?” I asked mum, unwilling to 51 .‎ ‎“I guess you will have to pack it away until another day,” she replied with 52 . Mournfully, I began to obey, 53 packing up my lemonade stand. ‎ From the 54 , where I could be seen through window, Grandpa came stepping across the grass. He 55 touched my cheek with a rough finger, put my lemonade stand back, seated himself in the chair and 56 a newspaper. “It is a 57 day for lemonade,” he said. “Hurry back, and we will share some.”‎ When we 58 later that day, Grandpa was still at my post. In the small box where I had begun to place my 59 was more change than could be accounted for even if the 60 village showed up for a drink.‎ ‎41. A. kind B. willing C. relaxed D. privileged ‎42. A. birthday B. love C. world D. happiness ‎43. A. boredom B. diversity C. amusement D. laziness ‎44. A. trip B. drink C. food D. plan ‎45. A. grandfather B. father C. friend D. family ‎46. A. collecting B. making C. enjoying D. selling ‎47. A. passed B. forgot C. decided D. ran ‎48. A. hopelessly B. carelessly C. excitedly D. cautiously ‎49. A. life B. effort C. work D. reality ‎50. A. advised B. made C. prepared D. permitted ‎51. A. answer B. pack C. leave D. disappear ‎52. A. regret B. embarrassment C. amusement D. anger ‎53. A. gratefully B. delightedly C. slowly D. hurriedly ‎54. A. farm B. store C. house D. car ‎55. A. suddenly B. gently C. secretly D. accidentally ‎56. A. bought B. unfolded C. put aside D. handed over ‎57. A. busy B. quiet C. short D. nice ‎58. A. talked B. discussed C. returned D. arrived ‎59. A. goods B. earnings C. snacks D. clothes ‎60. A. former B. small C. familiar D. entire 第二节　语法填空（共10小题；每小题1分，满分10分）‎ 阅读下面材料，在空白处填入1个适当的单词或括号内单词的正确形式。 ‎ For Nigel Portman, a love of travelling began with what's called a “gap year”. In a year out common with many other British teenagers, he chose 61 (take) before setting down to study for his degree. After doing various 62 (job) to raise some money, he left home to gain some experience of life in different cultures, visiting America and Asia. The more adventurous the young person, the 63 (great) the challenge they are likely to set 64 (them) for the gap year, and for some, like Nigel, it can result in a thirst for adventure.‎ Now that his university course 65 (come) to an end, Nigel is just about to leave on a three-year trip that will take him right around the world. What's more, he plans to make the whole journey 66 (use) only means of transport which are powered by natural energy. In other words, he'll be relying 67 (main) on bicycles and his own legs; and when there's an ocean to cross, he won't be taking a shortcut (捷径) 68 flying aboard---he'll be joining the crew of a sailing ship, instead.‎ As well as doing some mountain climbing along 69 way, Nigel hopes to pass on to the people he meets the environmental message 70 lies behind the whole idea.‎ 第三节 单词拼写 （共10小题；每小题1分， 满分10分）‎ ‎71. The year 1849 w a great war in Hungary.‎ ‎72. It took hours to free the (受害者) from the collapsed building.‎ ‎73. These ancient architectures were in an excellent state of being (保存、保护).‎ ‎74. She went further into the room, drawn by the w of the fire.‎ ‎75. Out of s for the homeless children, he gave them a bed for the night.‎ ‎76. You know by the boys’ loud (笑) that they are enjoying the joke.‎ ‎77. Smoking is now f in public places in more and more cities.‎ ‎78. He is under a c to finish the task by May.1.‎ ‎79. I bought this magazine on the (推荐) of a friend.‎ ‎80. Americans always drive to supermarkets to buy canned and f foods for the week.‎ 第四部分 写作（共两节，满分30分）‎ 第一节 短文改错（共10小题；每小题1分，满分10分） ‎ 假定英语课上老师要求同桌之间交换修改作文，请你修改你同桌写的以下作文。文中共有10处语言错误，每句最多有两处。每处错误仅涉及一个单词的增加、删除和修改。 ‎ 增加：在缺词处加一个漏字符号（∧），并在其下面写出该加的词。 ‎ 删除：把多余的词用斜线（）划掉。 ‎ 修改：在错的词下面画一横线，并在该词下面写出修改后的词。 ‎ 注意：1.每处错误及其修改均仅限一词； ‎ ‎2.只允许修改10处，多者（从第11处起）不计分。 ‎ Nowadays in China, either in the morning nor after dinner, people, especial elderly women, will gather in squares to dance to popular music. More and more young people are also participating the square dance now.‎ There are many reasons for their popularity. First of all, China has made a great progress in the social and economic development in the past decades, and people had ‎ more time and energy to enjoy their life. Besides, do the square dance is a good way for people to get fit.‎ However, dancers play loud music and occupy lots of public places, where makes many people annoying. Maybe square dancers need to make some change.‎ 第二节 书面表达（满分20分） ‎ 假定你是李华，你的外教Mr Green回国前向你推荐了American School Life网站，希望你能借此提高英语水平。请你用英语给他写一封电子邮件，告诉他你的收获，要点如下： ‎ ‎ 1.表达思念； 2.上网收获； 3.表示感激。 ‎ 注意:1.词数100左右； ‎ ‎2.可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。 ‎ ‎_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________‎ ‎______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________‎ ‎‎ 永春一中2017—2018学年（下）期初考试 高二英语参考答案（2018.3）‎ 一、听力 ‎1—5 BABCC 6—10 BBCBB 11—15 ACACA 16—20 CACCB 二、阅读（共两节，满分40分）‎ ‎21－24：CDBA 25-27:ABD 28-31: DBCA 32-35:BACA 36-40:DCGEB 三、完形（共20小题；每小题1.5分，满分30分）‎ ‎41－60：BDAAA DACBD CACCB BDCBD 四、语法填空(共l0小题；每小题1分，满分10分)‎ ‎61. to take 62. jobs 63. greater 64. themselves 65. has come ‎66. using 67. mainly 68. by/through 69. the 70. that/which ‎ 五、单词拼写(共l0小题；每小题1分，满分10分)‎ ‎ 71.witnessed 72.victims 73.preserved 74.warmth 75.sympathy ‎76.laughter 77.forbidden 78.commitment 79.recommendation 80.frozen 六、短文改错（共10小题；每小题1分，满分10分）‎ Nowadays in China, either in the morning nor after dinner, people, especial elderly ‎ ‎ or especially women, will gather in squares to dance to popular music. More and more young people ‎ are also participating ∧the square dance now.‎ ‎ in There are many reasons for their popularity. First of all, China has made a great ‎ ‎ its progress in the social and economic development in the past decades, and people had ‎ ‎ have more time and energy to enjoy their life. Besides, do the square dance is a good way ‎ ‎ doing for people to get fit.‎ However, dancers play loud music and occupy lots of public places, where makes ‎ which ‎ many people annoying. Maybe square dancers need to make some change.‎ ‎ annoyed changes 七、书面表达（满分20分）‎ Dear Mr Green, ‎ It's a fairly long time since you left our school. I miss you very much. Is everything going well? ‎ The website you've recommended to me is very beneficial to my English study. It has abundant reading materials that I need most, greatly broadening my horizon. Now I has become more interested in English. Besides, I've made many new friends and we communicate a lot about school life, cultures, science, and so on. Now I can express myself much better than ever. ‎ ‎ Thanks to your kindness and consideration, I've made rapid progress in English study. I owe all my achievements to you. I' m looking forward to more advice from you! ‎ Yours, Li Hua ‎ 附听力材料 Text 1 ‎ M: Can you take a photo of me?‎ W: I don’t have a camera with me.‎ M: I mean, with your phone. We hiked all this way; I need to remember this view! ‎ Text 2‎ W: San Francisco General Hospital. ‎ M: Hello. This is an emergency. Can you please send an ambulance?‎ W: OK, OK. Just try to calm down, sir. And tell me where you are.‎ M: OK. Right. Uh, we are at La Traviata Restaurant in North Beach. ‎ Text 3 ‎ W: Hello, Mike. I’m having problems finding the conference center. I’ve just passed the Star Hotel.‎ M: You’re almost there. Just keep going. Slow down when you see the gas station and turn right there. ‎ Text 4 ‎ W: What is that smell? Did you forget to take out the garbage?‎ M: No, I think the cat brought in a rat again. ‎ W: Oh, no! That is so disgusting. Please go take care of it!‎ Text 5‎ M: This math puzzle is really beyond me.‎ W: Well, if you can’t solve it, I won’t stand a chance. ‎ Text 6‎ M: Ann, are you doing anything tonight?‎ W: Yes. I’m afraid I’ll be busy tonight. I have an appointment with Professor Smith.‎ M: Well, how about tomorrow? Maybe we could go to a concert.‎ W: Tomorrow, I will take one of my friends to Heathrow Airport. She’s going to America.‎ M: That’s too bad. ‎ W: I will pick you up when I get back and we can go to the concert together. What do you think?‎ M: Great. I’ll book the tickets right now. ‎ Text 7‎ W: What are those socks you’re wearing? They look strange. ‎ M: These are the Sensoria Fitness Smart Socks. They have computer chips in them that send data to a smartphone app. ‎ W: They don’t look very comfortable.‎ M: They’re extremely comfortable! Plus, they’re helping me reach my fitness goals. I’m training to run a marathon, and these socks are able to give me information about how fast I’m running, as well as where my feet are landing on the ground. When I first started using them, they told me I was running incorrectly. ‎ W: Have you ever run a marathon before?‎ M: No, this will be my first one. I’ve done a half marathon, but that’s it. Eventually, my goal is to try out for the Olympics.‎ Text 8‎ W: Can I help you with anything? ‎ M: Yes, I’m looking for an engagement ring for my girlfriend. ‎ W: Congratulations! That is very exciting. Do you know what kind of ring you’re looking for?‎ M: Not really. I’m not too good at this kind of stuff.‎ W: Do you know what she likes?‎ M: She really likes colorful stones. I know that she prefers red and yellow. She likes diamonds, but I think she would also like a ruby or something else that’s really bright. ‎ W: We have some gorgeous ruby rings over here. Does she like silver or gold?‎ M: Gold.‎ W: This one here is really nice. The gold band is on the thinner side.‎ M: I like that one. Do you have anything with a smaller stone? ‎ W: This one here has a small stone. There’s a nice design on the band, too.‎ M: I think this may be the one! I’m going to send a photo of it to my mom. ‎ Text 9 ‎ M: How was your trip?‎ W: Great! I went all over the world. I started out in Germany and then made my way to Spain and France. After Europe, I went to Egypt and Turkey, then over to India and ‎ China. From China, I traveled to Thailand and Indonesia, then spent some time in Australia. I was planning on going to South America, but I ran out of money. ‎ M: How long were you gone for? It felt like years.‎ W: Almost half a year. I was gone for five months. It was amazing, and I learned so much about myself and the world around me. ‎ M: A few years ago, I spent two weeks in England and Ireland, but that’s it. I almost went to Brazil for work last year, but my boss changed his mind. What are you up to now that you’re home?‎ W: I have to find a place to live. Right now, I’m staying with my parents. I also have to find a job. ‎ M: What kind of job are you looking for?‎ W: Anything in the food business. ‎ M: I have a friend who works at a nice restaurant. I can introduce you to him. ‎ W: Great! ‎ Text 10 ‎ Hello, everybody. Welcome to this informal meeting about the University Helpline. Now, let me tell you some details so that you know where to go and who to see if you want to pay us a visit. Generally, you will see your Helpline officer Jessica. Jessica is a full-time employee of the Student Union and she works in the Student Welfare Office — that’s the office that deals with all the matters related to student welfare, and it’s located at 13 Marshall Road. I have some maps here for those of you who haven’t been there yet. If you wish to call the office, the number is 326-9940. That’s 326-9940. The office is open from 9:30 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. on weekdays and from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. on Saturdays. There will always be somebody there — usually Jessica or myself — between those times. If you want to make an appointment, you can call or come into the office in person. Please note that it may not be possible for anyone to see you right away, particularly if it is a busy time — lunch time, for example — and you may have to add your name to the waiting list and then come back later. Well, enough from me. Any questions?‎