On a number of drives throughout my childhood, my mother would suddenly pull over the car to examine a flower by the side of the road or rescue a beetle from tragedy while I, in my late teens and early twenties, sat impatiently in the car.
Though Mother's Day follows Earth Day, for me, they have always been related to each other. My mom has been “green” since she became concerned about the environment. Like her mother and her grandmother before her," mom saves glass jars, empty cheese containers and reuses her plastic bags.
Mom creates a kind of harmonious relationship with wildlife in her yard, She knows to pick the apples on her trees a little early to avoid the bears and that if she leaves the bird feeders out at night, it is likely that they will be knocked down by a family of raccoons, Spiders that make their way into the house and are caught in juice glasses will be set loose in the garden.
I try to teach my children that looking out for the environment starts with being aware of the environment. On busy streets, we look for dandelions (蒲公英) to fly in the wind; we say hello to neighborhood cats and pick up plastic cups and paper bags. This teaching comes easily, I realize, because I was taught so well by example. Mom didn't need to lecture. She simply slowed down enough to enjoy living in it and with that joy came mercy and an instinct for protection.
I am slowing down and it isn't because of the weight of my nearly forty years on the planet， it is out of my concern for the planet itself. I've begun to save glass jars and reuse packing envelopes. I pause in my daily tasks to watch the squirrels race each other in the trees above my house.
Last summer, in the company of my son and daughter, I planted tomatoes in my yard. With the heat of August around me, I ate the first while sitting on my low wall with dirt on my hands. Warm from the sun, it burst on my tongue with a sweetness I immediately, wanted to share with my mom.
1.Why does the author say Earth Day is connected with Mother's Day?
A. Because Mother's Day falls shortly after Earth Day.
B. To stress how much her mother cares about the environment.
C. To stress that all the, older women in her family are environmentalists.
D. Because her mother shows her how to be friendly to nature on Mother S Day.
2.We can infer from the text that .
A. the author s mother knows how to get rid of the wildlife in her yard
B. the author 'S mother used to lecture her to protect the environment
C. the author realizes that she should teach her children by example as well
D. the author believes that only by learning to slow down can we enjoy life
3.What can be learned from the last paragraph?
A. The author is proud of her sweet tomatoes.
B. The author really appreciates her mother's teaching.
C. Planting tomatoes is a way of protecting environment.
D. The author likes eating tomatoes planted by herself.
4.The writer's attitude towards her mom's behavior changed in the order of .
A. negative— understanding —supportive B. supportive— doubtful—negative
C. understanding —critical—supportive D. doubtful—critical— positive
Memory, they say, is a matter of practice and exercise. If you have the wish and really make a conscious effort, then you can quite easily improve your ability to remember things. But even if you are successful，there are times when your memory seems to play tricks on you.
Sometimes you remember things that really did not happen. One morning last week, for example, I got up and found that I had left the front door unlocked all night, yet I clearly remember locking it carefully the night before.
Memory “tricks" work the other way as well. Once in a while, you remember not doing something, and then find out that you did. One day last month, for example, I was sitting in a barber shop waiting for my turn to get a haircut, and suddenly I realized that I had got a haircut two days before at the barber shop across the street from my office.
We always seem to find something funny and amusing in incidents caused by people s forgetfulness or absent -mindedness. Stories about absent -minded professors have been told for years, and we never get tired of hearing new ones. Unfortunately, however ，absent -mindedness is not always funny. There are times when “tricks" of our memory can cause us great trouble.
1.If you want to have a good memory, you should .
A. never stop learning new things
B. use your memory to play tricks
C. make a conscious effort of practice
D. force yourself to remember things
2.What can be learnt from the text?
A. One night the writer locked the front door as usual.
B. The writer had had his hair cut two days before.
C. The writer got into trouble when crossing the street.
D. The writer was regarded as a forgetful professor.
3.How do you understand the underlined part in Paragraph 4?
A. We enjoy hearing new stories about absent -mindedness of professors.
B. We will never get tired of listening to new stories about absent-mindedness.
C. Absent- mindedness happens not only to professors but to many other people.
D. We are unwilling to know anything more about absent-mindedness of professors.
4.The best title for this passage is .
A. "Tricks" of Memory B. Value of Good Memory
C. Absent-minded Professors D. Forgetfulness and Trouble
My daughter Kelly is a cautious person. She needs to warm up to situations, and is hesitant to try new things. When with close friends, she becomes a leader who laughs loudly and chants," Girls rule, boys drool." But when that comfort zone is not around her, she is shy and nervous.
This has been challenging for me at times. “Shy" is not a word that I think has ever been used to describe me. But this has been a year of firsts for my girl that has filled her with a new sense of confidence. This year she moved to lap lane in swimming where she was preparing for a swim team. This year she learned to ride a bike without training wheels. And this year she completed her first kids ' triathlon (三项全能).
On Saturday, with a thunderstorm coming soon and my son's birthday party later in the day, we all went out in the dark of the morning for Kelly to participate in her first triathlon. We practiced transitions from swim to bike to run with her, we got all the equipment she'd need, and we kept talking about the race. But as we waited the two hours for the older kids to finish before her turn, she held my leg a little harder and told me she loved me a few too many times. She was nervous but trying to keep it together.
And then it was her turn. From the second she jumped into the water, my heart soared. My daughter transformed into the most confident human being I had ever seen. She dominated that swim, crushed that bike ride and ran to the finish with the biggest smile on her face.
I can honestly say that I never felt so proud of someone in my entire life. It wasn't because she did a sport or anything like that. It was because she was afraid of something and conquered that fear with confidence and a fire I hadn't seen before.
All day I would find myself just looking over at her and smiling. She might be. Wearing the finalist medal but I felt like I won that day. I won the chance to see my girl shine.
Shine on, sweet baby.
1.What can we learn from Paragraph 3?
A. The race began in the early morning.
B. The whole family gave Kelly support.
C. Kelly was eager for her turn in the race.
D. Kelly prepared for her brother's birthday party.
2.Seeing Kelly's performance in the race, the author felt .
A. worried and hesitant B. anxious and uneasy
C. excited and proud D. curious and concerned
3.In Paragraph 5, the underlined word “conquered" probably means .
A. to defeat someone especially in a competition
B. to take control of an area and its people by force
C. to become very popular or successful in a place
D. to succeed in dealing with or control something
4.In the ending paragraphs the author “felt like I won that day" because Kelly .
A. expressed love to her B. overcame the fear
C. won the gold medal D. took part in the sport
Philadelphia offers a ton of attractions that are suitable for people of every age and here are some family-friendly attractions.
Spruce Street Harbor Park
Spruce Street Harbor Park, one of the best urban beaches in America, is an outdoor heaven on the Delaware River waterfront. Visitors can relax in a hammock, play on the playgrounds, and play games like table tennis and giant chess. Don't miss out on the park at night, when colorful LED lights' hanging from treetops make the entire area bright.
Blue Cross RiverRink
Offering ice skating in the winter and roller skating in the summer, Blue Cross RiverRink creates a fun, outdoor experience for the whole family. Visitors can play on the nine-hole mini-golf course during the summer, and enjoy eats and drinks from the on -site bar and restaurant all year round.
Sesame Place
Big Bird, Elmo and the other stars of Sesame Street come out and play at Sesame Place, the only theme park in the nation starring the popular TV show's most lovable characters. A water park, interactive activities, parades, fireworks and shows add to the fun.
Once Upon a Nation Storytelling Benches
On summer days, uniformed and professional storytellers at 13 storytelling benches throughout Philadelphia ' s Historic District entertain visitors with true, free, three -to -five minute tales about the colonial era as part of Once Upon a Nation. Children can pick up a Story Flag at any storytelling bench, and then collet a star from every storyteller on their journeys. Flags with all the stars can get free rides on the Parx Liberty Carousel at Franklin Square.
1.Who would most probably go to Spruce Street Harbor Park?
A. People who are fond of colorful treetops.
B. People who want a relaxing day outdoors.
C. People who have a preference for skating.
D. People who are interested in water activities.
2.Which place would the fans of Big Bird be interested in?
A. Spruce Street Harbor Park. B. Blue Cross RiverRink.
C. Sesame Place. D. The Parx Liberty Carousel.
3.What is the text aimed at?
A. Telling what we can do in some places.
B. Encouraging people to visit Philadelphia.
C. Comparing some attractions in Philadelphia.
D. Recommending several places for family fun.
阅读下面短文,根据所给情节进行续写,使之构成一个完整的故事。
My mom only had one eye. I hated her. She was such an embarrassment. She cooked for students and teachers to support the family.
There was one day during elementary school when my mom came over to say hello to me. I was so embarrassed.
How could she do this to me? I ignored her, threw her a hateful look and ran out. The next day at school one of my classmates said, “Your mom only has one eye!”
I wanted to bury myself. I also wanted my mom to just disappear. I confronted (面对) her that day and said, “If you’re only going to make me a laughing stock, why don’t you just die?”
My mom did not respond. I didn’t even stop to think for a second about what I had said, because I was full of anger. I took no notice of her feelings at all.
I wanted to be out of that house, and have nothing to do with her. So I studied really hard, and got a chance to go abroad for further education.
Then, I got married. I bought a house of my own. I had kids of my own. I was happy with my life, my kids and the comforts. Then one day, my mother came to visit me. She hadn’t seen me in years and she didn’t even meet her grandchildren.
When she stood by the door, my children laughed at her, and I shouted at her for coming over uninvited. I screamed at her, “How dare you come to my house and scare my children! GET OUT OF HERE! NOW!!!”
And to this, my mother quietly answered, “Oh, I’m so sorry. I may have gotten the wrong address.” and she was soon out of sight.
One day, a letter regarding a school reunion (同学聚会) came to my house. So I lied to my wife that I was going on a business trip. After the reunion, I went to the old house just out of curiosity.
My neighbors said that she died. I did not shed (流出 ) a single tear. They handed me a letter that she had wanted me to have.
注意：1.所续写短文的词数应为150左右;
2.应使用5个以上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
My dearest son,
I think of you all the time and I’m sorry that
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Paragraph 2
You see, when you were very little,
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With all my love to you.
Your mother
假定你是李华，你的美国朋友Peter 对中国春联（Spring Festival couplets）产生了浓厚兴趣，来信向你了解中国的春联文化。请你用英语写一封回信，为他介绍春联的用途、内容和寓意等。
注意：1.词数80左右；
2.可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。
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