Antonio and Charles were good friends, and both of them were sailors. One day they ran into each other in a pub._______ a few beers, Antonio told Charles about his last _______. “After a month at sea,” he said, “we _______our masts(桅杆) had been eaten through by white ants! ________ nothing was left of them.”
“That’s terrible,” said Charles.
“That’s what I thought at first too,” Antonio said, “but it turned out to be good luck. As soon as we took the sails down to fix the masts, we were hit by a(n) _____wind so suddenly and so hard, it would _______have blown us over if our sails were up at the time.”
“How lucky!”
“That’s exactly what I thought at the time too. But because our sails were down, we couldn’t _______, and because of the wind, we were blown ________ a reef. The hole in the ship was too big to fix. We were stranded(搁浅).”
“That is bad luck indeed.”
“That’s what I thought, too, when it first ________. But we all ________ it to the beach alive and had plenty to eat. But now here’s the real kicker: We were on the island ________about our terrible fate ______ we discovered a buried treasure!”
____this story proves, you don’t know if an event is “good” or “bad”, and even thinking about a _______event, you don’t really know because ______keeps going.
____, you can simply ______ whatever happens is “good”. If you think an event is good, it’s easy to have a(n) ______ attitude. And your attitude affects the ______ people treat you and how you treat others, and it affects your energy level. And those can help pave the way for things to turn out well. A good attitude is a good thing, while a bad attitude ______ no good to you.
1.A. At B. On C. To D. Over
2.A. story B. voyage C. experience D. event
3.A. discovered B. knew C. realized D. imagined
4.A. Nearly B. Mostly C. Hardly D. Almost
5.A. violent B. abnormal C. immediate D. tough
6.A. probably B. dangerously C. instantly D. surely
7.A. make sense B. change destination C. take control D. make difference
8.A. into B. onto C. up D. off
9.A. blew B. fixed C. sailed D. happened
10.A. found B. brought C. made D. took
11.A. complaining B. thinking C. discussing D. talking
12.A. while B. where C. when D. since
13.A. As B. Although C. Which D. Whatever
14.A. past B. future C. present D. terrible
15.A. ship B. life C. world D. story
16.A. However B. Besides C. Therefore D. Instead
17.A. guess B. suppose C. suggest D. trust
18.A. difficult B. outgoing C. positive D. different
19.A. attitude B. means C. method D. way
20.A. feels B. does C. gives D. has
Once my mother told me a story. In Africa, when an antelope wakes up every morning, the first thing it thinks about is, “I must be able to run faster than the fastest lion, or I will be killed.” 1. The first thing the lion thinks about is, “I must be able to catch the slowest antelope, or I will starve to death.” So, almost at the same time, they get up and start running toward the rising sun.
This is life: full of chances and challenges. 2. For students, it is just the same. If we do not study hard, sooner or later, we will fall behind the other students. At first, I did not know what the word “exam” meant. Later, I knew an exam was a kind of competition. In competitions, there are always winners and losers. As I grew up, I got to know competition well. 3.
Each time I saw children playing games, and heard their laughter, I wished I were that age again. 4. So I picked up my pen and began to study hard again.
I was still not sure what competition really meant. One day, I was taking part in an English-speaking competition. When I went to the stage, I saw other students looking at me kindly. 5.It is not as cruel as my teacher and parents told me. In fact, competition is the opposite: it is kind and necessary.
A.At the same time, a lion wakes from his dream.
B.I suddenly knew what competition was.
C.Now I understand more about the world.
D.In one’s life, there must be competitions, so people can improve.
E.I learned a lot from realizing this fact.
F.However, I remembered my parents’ words: “You must work very hard in order to have a good future.”
G.Whether you are an antelope or a lion, you must go ahead when the sun rises.
Encouraging early reading skills can build a path to a lifelong love of reading and can help your child get a head start in school. While reading to your child is still the most important thing you can do to build reading skills, there are many techniques that can help.
Make reading fun. Play games with your child as you read. Many traditional children’s games can be adapted to encourage reading skills. While reading or during play, tell your child, “I spy with my little eye, something that begins with the letter ‘b’.” Help the child find something on the page or in the room that begins with that letter. For example, “I see a barn.” This can also be used to teach beginning letter sounds. “I spy with my little eye, something that begins with the sound‘s’.” Help the child find a word that begins with the “s” sound.
In this variation(变化) on the popular game, instruct the child that, “Simon says, ‘point to something that starts with the letter ‘n’.’” The child can then find an object in the room or a body part, such as the nose, that starts with the letter presented. This can also be used to teach beginning sounds.
Make a game out of rhyming (押韵) words by making up silly words to rhyme with the child’s name or favorite toys. This sets the stage for rhyming real words by showing the child the similarities of sounds. As the child masters making up the words, begin rhyming real words to one another.
Tips to raise a successful reader:
Put books in places where the child plays. If books are easily accessible, children are more likely to pick them up.
Let children “read to you” by looking at pictures. Making up stories to go along with illustrations helps children discover how words relate to pictures.
Take books along on trips or even short visits to the doctor’s office or grocery store.
Have children help you shop. Reading grocery lists and looking for specific items help build vocabulary.
1.Which of the following statements is TRUE?
A. A good reading habit can benefit your child at school.
B. Computer games help children develop reading skills.
C. You should be careful as for what books to read.
D. Children enjoy reading poems to their parents.
2.What can we conclude from the text?
A. The most important thing is to make reading funny.
B. Children have a preference for stories with pictures.
C. Rhyming games should begin only with real words.
D. Children tend to read more if books are at hand.
3.What message does the author deliver in the passage?
A. Interest is the best teacher
B. Practice makes perfect
C. Good methods are half done
D. Failure teaches success
4.What are the intended readers of the text?
A. Parents.
B. Children
C. Educators.
D. People in general.
If you are a recent social science graduate who has had to listen to jokes about unemployment from your computer major classmates, you may have had the last laugh. There are many advantages for the social science major because this high-tech “Information Age” demands people who are flexible and who have good communication skills.
There are many social science majors in large companies who fill important positions. For example, a number of research studies found that social science majors had achieved greater managerial success than those who had technical training or pre-professional courses. Studies show that social science majors are most suited for change, which is the leading feature(特点) of the kind of high-speed, high-pressure, high-tech world we now live in.
Social science majors are not only experiencing success in their long-term company jobs, but they are also finding jobs more easily. A study showed that many companies had filled a large percentage of their entry-level positions with social science graduates. The study also showed that the most sought-after quality in a person who was looking for a job was communication skills, noted as “very important”, by 92 percent of the companies. Social science majors have these skills, often without knowing how important they are. It is probably due to these skills that they have been offered a wide variety of positions.
Finally, although some social science majors may still find it more difficult than their technically trained classmates to land the first job, recent graduates report that they don’t regret their choice of study.
1.By saying that “you may have had the last laugh” in the first paragraph, the author means that you may have ____________.
A. shared the jokes with computer majors B. earned as much as computer majors
C. stopped joking about computer majors D. found jobs more easily than computer majors
2.Compared with graduates of other subjects, social science graduates ____________.
A. are ready to change when situations change B. are better able to deal with difficulties
C. are equally good at computer skills D. are likely to give others pressure
3.The underlined word “land” in the last paragraph probably means ____________.
A. keep for some time B. successfully get C. immediately start D. lose regretfully
4.According to the text, what has made it easy for social science graduates to find jobs?
A. Willingness to take low-paid jobs. B. Readiness to gain high-tech knowledge.
C. Skills in expressing themselves. D. Part-time work experience.
I travel a lot in my work, and what I dislike about my job is eating alone. It always makes me feel lonely to see others laughing and talking. So, room service for several nights was a better choice for me.
After having room service three nights at a hotel in Houston, however, I needed to get out of my room. Although the restaurant opened at 6:30, I arrived at 6:25. The waiter at the front desk made a comment about my “being there really early”. I explained my dislike of eating alone in restaurants. He then seated me at a lovely table and asked me whether I would mind if he sat down with me for a while.
I was glad! He sat and talked with me about his career goals and the difficulty of being at work on nights, weekends and holidays. He said he hadn’t enough time to be with his family. After 15 minutes, he saw some customers at the front desk and excused himself. I noticed that before he went to the front desk, he stopped in the kitchen for a moment.
Then another waiter came out of the kitchen and had a wonderful chat with me. Before I left that night, some other waiters, even the cook, had come out of the kitchen and sat with me!
When I asked for my bill about one hour later, all the people who had sat down with me came over in a big group to my table, and presented me with a red rose. And I cried! What had begun as a lonely night ended as a beautiful experience.
1.The reason why the author hated to eat in the hotel restaurant is that the author didn’t like ____________.
A. the discomfort caused by eating alone
B. being disturbed by the noises around
C. meeting strangers in the restaurant
D. being pointed at or laughed at
2.How did the waiter feel when he saw the author come in at 6:25?
A. Dissatisfied. B. Pleased. C. Surprised. D. Angry.
3.From the third paragraph, we can learn that the waiter at the front desk ____________.
A. knew how to attract more customers to his restaurant
B. found it hard to balance his work and his family
C. was getting tired of his present job
D. had never had such a chance to talk about his worries
4.The author wants to tell us that ____________ .
A. people can get help for their loneliness
B. restaurants should put the need of customers first
C. the kindness of strangers can make you less lonely
D. restaurants are full of surprises
Welcome to the State Park, where fun, fitness, and education come together!
Don’t miss our new summer classes, which are available during May 23---Aug 5!
● Swimming lessons: Age 4 - adult. Cost: $5 per class or $15 for one month.
● Hiking: Have a park keeper hike with you through our paths and teach you about the park’s wildlife and plants. The park is a perfect spot for hiking.
● Soccer: Our youth soccer program is unusual and non-competitive. Different teams are formed every day. The focus is on each player learning to work as a team, not on one team winning it at all.
● Boating: These classes are only for 20-year-olds and above. Fishing is only allowed with a permit.
● Bicycling: We have special paths built for bicyclists. Signs are posted for self-guided tours of our park.
Group cycling is also available with a park guide. Paths range from easy to challenging.
A message from the director:
Hiking paths! Sports fields! Playgrounds! Campgrounds! Fun activities! The State Park offers something for everyone. We have a number of plants and animals, which are in danger of dying out, being protected in our park. Sign up for one of our new summer community classes, or take a camping trip with your friends or family. All the facilities here are set up with modern systems, so you don’t have to suffer while enjoying yourself—unless you want to!
Glen Harwood, Park Director
Experience being a park keeper:
Are you 13-17 years old? Ever wonder what it would be like to be a park keeper? It’s a competitive field, but you can get ahead by volunteering with our Teen Keeper Program. Depending on your age and responsibilities, you can even earn college credits for certain universities!
1.If you plan to swim regularly in the park in June and July, you should pay _______.
A. $5 B. $15 C. $25 D. $30
2.Which can we infer according to the passage?
A. We can see Chinese pandas in the park.
B. Special paths will soon be built for bicyclists.
C. There are many volunteer programs in the park.
D. You needn’t experience a hard time when hiking there.
3.Where can we most probably read this passage?
A. CNN: Current News. B. Fox sports: Special Events.
C. MSN: Recreation & Entertainment. D. USA today: Focus Reports.
