In the summer of 1978 an English farmer was driving his tractor through a field of wheat when he discovered that some of his wheat was lying flat on the ground. The fattened (压平的) wheat formed a circle about six meters across. Around this circle were four smaller circles of flattened wheat. The five circles were in a formation like five dots. During the following years, farmers in England found the strange circles in their fields more and more often.
The circles are called “crop circles” because they appear in the fields of grain - usually wheat or corn. The grain in the circles lies flat on the ground but never broken; it continues to grow, and farmers can later harvest it. Farmers always discover the crop circles in the morning, so the circles probably form at night. They appear only in the months from May to September.
At first, people thought that the circles were ahoax. Probably young people were making them as a joke, or farmers were making them to attract tourists. To prove that the circles were a hoax, people tried to make circles exactly like the ones that farmer had found. They couldn’t do it. They couldn’t enter a field of grain without leaving tracks(痕迹), and they couldn’t flatten the grain without breaking it.
Many people believe that beings from outer space are making the circle to communicate with us from far away and that the crop circles are messages from them.
Scientists who have studied the crop circles suggested several possibilities. Some scientists say that a downward rush of wind leads to the formation of the circles - the same downward rush of air that sometimes causes an airplane to crash. Other scientists say that forces within the earth cause the circles to appear. There is one problem with all these scientific explanations: crop circles often appear in formations, like the five-dot formation. It is hard to believe that any natural force could form those.
1.In the summer of 1978, an English farmer discovered in his field that __________.
A.some of his wheat had been damaged
B.his grain was growing up in circles.
C.his grain was moved into several circles
D.some of his wheat had fallen onto the ground.
2.According to the text, the underlined part “hoax” (in the 3rdparagraph) probably means __________.
A.an attempt made to fool people
B.a special way to plant crops
C.a research on the force of winds
D.an experiment for the protection of crops.
3.Which of the following may prove that the crop circles are not made by man?
A.The farmer couldn’t step out of the field.
B.The farmers couldn’t make the circles round.
C.The farmers couldn’t leave without footprints.
D.The farmers couldn’t keep the wheat straight up.
4.A proper title for this passage is ___________.
A.An Unsolved Mystery
B.Strange Flying Objects
C.The Power of Natural Forces
D.The discovery of Strange Circles
用适当的介词或关系代词填空
1.Is this the girl to __________ you lent your bike？
2.This is the pen __________ which I wrote the letter．
3.He is just the student __________ whom I want to make friends．
4.Water is important，__________ which people can not live．
5.He is the student __________ whom I borrowed this dictionary．
6.Some experts think reading is the fundamental skill upon __________ school education depends．
7.Creating an atmosphere __________ which employees feel part of a team is a big challenge．
8.September 30 is the day __________ which you must pay your bill．
9.There isn’t a person __________ whom she can turn for help．
10.I can not remember the age __________ which he won the prize．
根据语境及汉语提示正确拼写单词
1.If the __________（结构）of your speech is loose and confused，chances are that your thinking is also disordered and confused．
2.The two countries are going to meet to break down some __________（障碍）to trade between them．
3.Waving goodbye to them on the __________（站台），I felt happy for them and wished them a safe journey．
4.I had as much fun __________（航行）the seas as I now do working with students．
5.__________（沙漠）are also created because people cut down trees and dig up grass．
重点短语
1.be located __________ 位于
2.divide．．．__________．．．把……分成……
3.separate．．．__________．．．把……分开
4.note __________ 记下
5.work __________ 推测出，算出
单词与拓展
1.__________ n．障碍，壁垒
2.__________ n．结构，构造
3.__________ n．盆地，低洼地；盆，洗脸盆
4.__________ adj．宏伟的，壮丽的
5.__________ n．谷，山谷
6.__________ n．高台，平台
7.__________ vi．打雷，发出轰隆隆的响声 n．雷，雷声
8.__________ n．海峡，频道，渠道
9.__________ n．洋，大海
10.__________ n．骆驼
11.__________ n．沙漠，荒漠 ν．舍弃，遗弃，拋弃
12.__________ ν．（乘船）航行→__________ n．水手，海员
阅读下面短文，根据其内容写一篇60词左右的内容概要。
Parents everywhere praise their kids. Jenn Berman, author of The A to Z Guide to Raising Happy and Confident Kids, says, “We’ve gone to the opposite extreme of a few decades ago when parents tended to be more strict.” By giving kids a lot of praise, parents think they’re building their children’s confidence, when, in fact, it may be just the opposite. Too much praise can backfire and, when given in a way that’s insincere, make kids afraid to try new things or take a risk for fear of not being able to stay on top where their parents’ praise has put them.
Still, don’t go too far in the other direction. Not giving enough praise can be just as damaging as giving too much. Kids will feel like they’re not good enough or that you don’t care and, as a result, may see no point in trying hard for their accomplishments.
So what is the right amount of praise? Experts say that the quality of praise is more important than the quantity. If praise is sincere and focused on the effort not the outcome, you can give it as often as your child does something that deserves a verbal reward. “We should especially recognize our children’s efforts to push themselves and work hard to achieve a goal,” says Donahue, author of Parenting Without Fear: Letting Go of Worry and Focusing on What Really Matters. “One thing to remember is that it’s the process not the end product that matters.”
Your son may not be the best basketball player on his team. But if he’s out there every day and playing hard, you should praise his effort regardless of whether his team wins or loses. Praising the effort and not the outcome can also mean recognizing your child when she has worked hard to clean the yard, cook dinner, or finish a book report. But whatever it is, praise should be given on a case-by-case basis and be proportionate(相称的) to the amount of effort your child has put into it.
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