Hardy pensioner (老烟枪) Dorothy Howe has reached her 100^th birthday--- despite smoking nearly half a million cigarettes during her life.

The retired secretary took her first smoking aged 16 and has help puffed her way through 15 cigarettes every day since then.

She has smoked around 460,000 cigarettes over the last 84 years--- costing $ 193,000 at today’s prices.

But despite the obvious health risks, Dorothy now believes smoking is the secret to her old age--- and a regular drop of whisky.

Relaxing with her favorites tipple(烈酒)of Bell’s, she said，“I put my health down to whisky and cigarettes. I only drink when I’m out but my doctor said I wouldn’t be alive without them. ”

“I’m still alive and I can lift my elbows---it’s great. I’ve had a great life and God has treated me very well. I’ve been very lucky.”

“I keep telling myself that I’m going to quit smoking when they put the prices up, but that’s just not going to happen now. Whisky tastes just as good as it used to though. My pins aren’t as fast as they used to be, but my mind is still sharp,” she said.

On her milestone birthday, friends took Dort to her local pub where she had a couple of drinks before returning home to open her card from the Queen. Friend Lynn Sass said,” She has the respect and friendship of a lot of people around here. She’s wonderful and a great character,” “ She’s thought very highly of and we hope she’s had a great time. It’s a real achievement for a great woman.”

请阅读下面文字,并按照要求用英语写一篇150 词左右的文章。

【写作内容】

1. 用约30个词概括上述利用排名（ratings）进行消费的现象；

2. 谈谈你如何看待消费排名，然后用2-3个理由或论据支撑你的看法。

【写作要求】

1. 写作过程中不能直接引用原文语句；

2. 作文中不能出现真实姓名和学校名称；

3. 不必写标题。

【评分标准】

内容完整，语言规范，语篇连贯，词数适当。

Grandma always says, “Gardening is good for the soul.” She lives in the _ _  (1)  _ _ and has a big yard with raised flowerbeds and an organic vegetable patch, _ _  (2)  _ _ , as her only granddaughter, I live in the city. I always _ _  (3)  _ _ about planting a garden in my neighborhood, but I never had the _ _  (4)  _ _ . Last year, the chance came by itself. The building across the way was torn down. The lot (一块地) _ _  (5)  _ _ untouched for months littered with garbage. When I decided to turn the _ _  (6)  _ _ lot into a community garden, I started a difficult but _ _  (7)    (8)  _ _ adventure.

At first, the difficulties I had _ _  (9)  _ _ me. I had to make phone calls to _ _  (10)  _ _ of the local 15 city offices before the city would give me _ _  (11)  _ _ permission to use the lot. Now with their permission, I put up posters in local grocery stores and buildings _ _  (12)  _ _ volunteers to help pull weeds and _ _  (13)  _ _ garbage, glass, rocks, and bricks. Only two people signed up. I ended up doing most of the _ _  (14)  _ _ myself. Not only did I have to remove tons of garbage in the lot, but I also had to use all my persuasive skills to convince a gang of kids to do their hanging out _ _  (15)  _ _ . No matter _ _  (16)  _ _ challenges I had, the rewards were far greater. _ _  (17)    (18)  _ _ I planted some flowers and trees, the place looked _ _  (19)    (20)  _ _ and cheerful. More and more people in the community _ _（18）_ _ me and wanted to help. Students in our local elementary school planted vegetables. A senior citizens’ group started a small herb garden. I’ve got to know many _ _（19）_ _  people in my community by starting this garden. Grandma was _ _（20）_ _ : gardening is good for the soul.   

A friend of mine named Paul received an expensive car from his brother as a Christmas present. On Christmas Eve when Paul came out of his office, a street urchin(顽童) was walking around the shining car. “Is this your car, sir?” he asked.

Paul answered, “Yes, my brother gave it to me for Christmas.” The boy was surprised. “You mean your brother gave it to you and it did cost you nothing? Sir, I wish…” He hesitated(犹豫). Paul thought of course he knew what the boy wanted, but what the boy said surprised him greatly. “I wish,” the boy went on, “that I could be a brother like that.” Paul looked at the boy in surprise, and then he said again, “Would you like to take a ride in my car?” “Oh yes, I’d love to,” the boy answered.

After a short ride, the boy turned and with his eyes shining, said, “Sir, would you mind driving in front of my house?”

Paul smiled a little. He thought he knew what the boy wanted. He wanted to show his neighbors that he could ride home in a big car. But Paul was wrong again. “Will you stop where those two steps are?” the boy asked.

He ran up to the steps. Then in a short while Paul heard him coming back, but he was not coming fast. He was carrying his little crippled(残疾的) brother. He sat down on the step and pointed to the car.

“There he is, Buddy, just like I told you upstairs. His brother gave it to him for Christmas and it didn’t cost him a cent. And some day I’m going to give you one just like it…then you can see for yourself all the nice things in the Christmas windows that I’ve been trying to tell you about.”

Paul got out and lifted the boy to the front seat of his car. The shining-eyed elder brother climbed in beside him and the three began an unforgettable holiday ride.

More students than ever before are taking a gap year(间隔年)before going to university. It used to be called the“year off”between school and university .The gap-year phenomenon originated(起源)with the months left over to Oxbridge applicants between entrance exams in November and the start of the next academic year.

This year,25310 students who have accepted places in higher education institutions have put off their entry until next year, according to statistics on university entrance provided by the University and College Admissions Service(UCAS).

That is a record 14.7% increase in the number of students taking a gap year. Tony Higgins from UCAS said that the statistics are good news for everyone in higher education. “Students who take a well-planned year out are more likely to be satisfied with, and complete, their chosen course. Students who take a gap year are often more mature and responsible,”he said.

But not everyone is happy. Owain James, the president of the National Union of Students(NUS),argued that the increase is evidence of student hardship—young people are being forced into earning money before finishing their education.“New students are now aware that they are likely to leave university up to ￡15,000 in debt .It is not surprising that more and more students are taking a gap year to earn money to support their study for the degree. NUS statistics show that over 40% of students are forced to work during term time and the figure increases to 90% during vacation periods,”he said.

A

    Teens don't want to be seen with their parents，much less talk to them or do anything with them．That's what we hear all the time．I don't believe it．Oh，sure，when my daughter and my son were in their teens，they wanted to spend most of their free time with their friends．But there were always those special times planned when we enjoyed being alone with each other，when we connected deeply，and when we were reminded again how much we loved one another．

    I recall how delighted my 14-year-old daughter，Alisa，felt when I asked her for a date to see a movie．It was a bitter sweet Italian movie，Cinema Paradiso，and I wanted this story to give her a sense of how I grew up as an Italian boy in a small town，where life was simple and where every-one knew one another．I wanted her to know how her father had been brought up and shaped．

    We both laughed and cried during the same scenes in the movie．She was attached to the movie．I decided we should complete our evening with some lively conversation at a nearby bakery．I told her the movie was now so much more special for me because I had shared it with her．She smiled．She understood．We made a memory that night．

    From our living room window， I saw my 13-year-old son，Jason，tearfully searching our vegetable garden for a place to bury his pet．Because my son had suffered from asthma(哮喘)and allergies，he could never have a dog，a faithful friend that he wanted so much．Every pet he owned—lizards，fish，or snakes—had died．

    I was at his side as we searched for the best place for the burying．We dug the grave，said our goodbyes and then he cried．He cried hard and he asked me why every pet he had owned died so soon．I could feel his heart break against my chest．I just held him close．He let me hold his aching soul．He needed me while he was confused．Share your heart with your teens．Show the mrepeatedly that you know and love who they really are．There are tender memories waiting to be made．

      注意：1.词数100左右，开头语已为你写好，不计入总字数。

2.文中不得透露个人姓名和学校名称。

Li Ming’s schedule for July

13—17 July:  travel along the Yangtze

18       July: visit Wuhan University

19       July: interview professors about Wuhan University

20—22 July: go to Chengdu

21       July: visit some temples of Taoism (道观)

23       July: fly to Xi’an

24—29 July:          explore places of interest in Xi’an

30       July:   return to Beijing

Dear Mr. Wang

Thank you for your email about the tourism and culture festival in Zhangjiajie next month. However, I am afraid I can’t go as I have a tight schedule during July, please let me explain.

Yours,

Li Ming