What to Do when You’re Falling Behind
When I was a kid, it took me longer to learn how to ride a bike. I kept using a bike with training wheels and I didn’t _______ much, so of course I didn’t learn how to balance.
One day I _______ that my sister, 2.5 years younger than me, was getting close to _______ how to ride a bike. She wasn’t quite there yet, but she was _______ much closer to balancing than I was. I couldn’t let her _______ me to it!
So I took my bike, _______ it out to the street, and decided that I was going to learn how to ride it right now. I _______ the training wheels, jumped on, and swerved (突然转向) all over the place like an out-of- control madman. I tried to stay near the grass when I could get some degree of _______, so when I fell, I’d _______ fall to the lawn instead of the street or sidewalk.
After many attempts, I finally learned how to ________ Then I rode my bike a lot that summer and have had the ________ ever since.
Up until that point, I’d been making a big deal out of the whole process. It seemed ________ and discouraging. I was afraid of falling. But once I began to face the fear and ________ the courage to risk getting hurt, I quickly showed my ________ ability on the other side with a whole new skill. From the moment of making the decision to the time I ________ to get the basic skill it probably took me less than an hour.
What finally ________ me to face the fear and take action? It was the ________ that I was falling behind. My sister was leaving me in the dust. She could ride ________ I couldn’t. I really didn’t want that to happen.
I had no idea that I could learn to ride a bike so quickly. The feeling of falling behind served as a powerful motivator (动力). ________ trying to hide the disappointment, I allowed myself to feel the weight of that pressure. I used the ________ feeling to motivate myself to take action.
1.A.control B.practice C.experience D.travel
2.A.understood B.recognised C.observed D.imagined
3.A.watching out B.carrying out C.pointing out D.figuring out
4.A.clearly B.suddenly C.carefully D.immediately
5.A.hand B.take C.force D.beat
6.A.pulled B.rode C.pushed D.moved
7.A.separated B.replaced C.destroyed D.removed
8.A.control B.excitement C.failure D.satisfaction
9.A.similarly B.actually C.probably D.especially
10.A.entertain B.drive C.imitate D.balance
11.A.skill B.knowledge C.achievement D.challenge
12.A.surprising B.exciting C.frightening D.interesting
13.A.adopted B.found C.needed D.sent
14.A.wonderful B.complex C.powerful D.special
15.A.offered B.tried C.managed D.failed
16.A.allowed B.encouraged C.influenced D.ordered
17.A.feeling B.mood C.action D.attitude
18.A.and B.or C.but D.so
19.A.In spite of B.Because of C.In case of D.Instead of
20.A.negative B.positive C.creative D.objective
How to Learn English Well
All English learners want to improve their English, but as you know, it can be difficult! For you to learn, you need to work on all areas. The four main areas for you to focus on are: Reading, Writing, Speaking, and Listening. 1.
Speaking
This is the best way to learn English! There is nothing better than conversation to help you improve. 2. Also, get into the habit of thinking in English and don’t translate from your own language into English, which will slow you down. It’s fun to sing in English, so learn some English songs and sing your heart out!
Listening
3. Like speaking, it’s better for you to be in a totally English-speaking environment. It’s also good to watch TV shows, or movies in English. The news can be difficult to learn from for beginners, but the more you listen the more you'll pick up.
Reading
Reading English is something you can do to help you learn on your own, outside of the classroom. Have a dictionary with you to look up new words and then write them down in a notebook. 4. Newspapers are good for higher-level students, while lower-level students can try reading children’s stories or books which have been especially written for English learners. The Internet is full of stuff you can read and learn from.
Writing
Try keeping a diary. Start with small sentences and make them longer. 5. Try to make friends online, visit chat rooms, or post comments on blogs. These are all useful tools for you.
A. The four abilities are very important.
B. Here are some ways to help you learn.
C. Meanwhile, write or read some newspapers.
D. Again, the Internet is indeed a great way to help.
E. This really is a skill that needs to be worked on every day.
F. Using these new words in conversation is a great way to learn.
G. The quickest way to learn English is to be surrounded with English speakers.
Imagine a store where you could buy what you need using your plastic garbage. Not just food or household items but valuable goods such as minutes for your cellphone, WiFi and even health insurance.
This isn’t imagination for the future, or a strange society that uses trash for cash. It’s the idea behind Plastic Bank, a company formed in 2013 by David Katz and Shaun Frankson. As a diver, Katz was upset—and thus inspired to act—after he saw the shocking amount of plastic trash in the ocean when he travelled to other countries to dive.
Although important, simply cleaning up the oceans wasn’t enough, he decided. “To understand why, imagine walking into a kitchen to find the sink（洗碗池）overflowing and water pouring onto the floor. What would you do first? Turn off the tap.”says Katz. And he believes we need to turn off the tap for plastic junk and stop it from getting into the sea in the first place.
With Plastic Bank, people in parts of Haiti, the Philippines and Brazil can transform plastic trash into cash, goods or services. Collectors gather the plastic and bring it to a collection center to be weighed. In exchange, they’re paid in the form of cash, items from the store, or points that can be used at any store or recycling center that uses the Plastic Bank app; in some places, the points can also be exchanged for mobile money.
A collector can earn up to the equivalent of ＄ 5 a day, according to Plastic Bank. This can double or triple people’s real incomes. In Haiti, for example, the majority of the population earns below ＄ 2.41 a day.
After the collectors turn in their plastic, it is sent to a recycling center, where it’s sold to companies that use it in their products. Many businesses pay a premium（额外费用）for recycled plastic, in part to meet their social responsibility goals. But it can also benefit their bottom line-they’re able to tell consumers that by buying goods made with what Katz calls “social plastic”, their purchase（购买）benefits both the environment and people's livelihood.
1.What was the main reason for David Katz to set up Plastic Bank?
A.To recycle plastic garbage.
B.To make money by running a company.
C.To increase the income of local people.
D.To protect the ocean from plastic pollution.
2.What does the author mainly tell us in Paragraph 4?
A.The main products of plastic.
B.How plastic garbage is produced.
C.The Plastic Bank’s operation process.
D.The main function of the Plastic Bank.
3.What is the author’s purpose in writing the text?
A.To introduce a recycling company
B.To introduce the effects of plastic.
C.To tell us how to recycle the natural resources.
D.To introduce a new way to protect the ocean environment.
4.Where does this text probably come from?
A.Science fiction.
B.A science report.
C.An advertisement.
D.News of environmental protection.
It is interesting to see that the force of only 6 or 7 people pushing in the same direction can cause up to 1,000 pounds of force—enough to break brick walls. During a fatal stampede (蜂拥), people can even die standing up. People die when pressure is put to their bodies in a front to back direction, causing them not to be able to breathe.
If you are in a crowd, the first and most important thing is to make yourself familiar with your surroundings and find different exits. No matter where you are, make sure you always know how to get out.
Make yourself aware of the type of the ground you are standing on, and know that in a crowd of moving people wet ground can cause you to fall.
When in danger, a few seconds can make a difference, giving you the possibility of making use of your escaping route. Always stay closer to the escape route. If you find yourself in the middle of a moving crowd, do not fight against the pressure and do not stand still or sit down, because you can easily get trampled (踩踏). Instead, move in the same direction of the crowd; make use of any space that may open up to move sideways to the crowd movement where the flow is weaker.
Keep your hands up by your chest, like a boxer—it gives you movement and protects your chest. If you fall, get up quickly. If you can’t get up because you are injured, get someone to pull you up. If you have kids, lift them up. If you fall and cannot get up, keep moving in the same direction of the crowd, or if that is not possible, then cover your head with your arms; do not lie on your stomach or back.
1.Why may people in a stampede die standing up?
A.They can’t breathe freely.
B.They push in the same direction.
C.They are not able to get up.
D.They aren’t familiar with the surroundings.
2.What does the underlined word n fatal” mean in the first paragraph?
A.Harmful. B.Shocking.
C.Deadly. D.Hateful.
3.What should we do to make a difference when in danger?
A.Fight against the pressure.
B.Stand still where you are.
C.Sit down covering your head.
D.Move along the escape route.
4.What does the writer mainly want to tell us in the passage?
A.How to stay far away from a crowd.
B.What to do when you are in a crowd.
C.Where to go when you are in danger.
D.How to get along with a big crowd.
Scientists in Colombia have trained a team of rats to help remove land mines from the countryside. Land mines are small bombs hidden in the ground and designed to explode(爆炸) when someone steps on them. When trained, the rats can smell special metals in the mines and then signal(发信号) to their human team. Then why use rats for such an important job?
In the past, dogs have been used to find bombs. Rats have a good sense of smell and can respond to orders, just like dogs do. But rats are much lighter than dogs. They stand less of a chance of setting off the mines, which explode under a certain amount of weight. What’s more, the best rats are cheaper to keep than dogs. It costs about the same amount of money to take care of one dog as it does 70 rats.
The rats have already been used in Tanzania, an African country with many land mines. Luisa Fernanda Méndez and her team in Colombia are training the even lighter Wistar rats. These are the white rats with red eyes that scientists often use in laboratory experiments. “They even train their babies to perform their jobs, which saves us a lot of time, ” Méndez said.
Colombia has the second-highest rate(比率) of deaths from land mine accidents in the world. Last year, land mines killed 695 people — 56 of whom were children. A criminal group called the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, as well as other organizations, have placed the mines. FARC are strongly against Colombia’s government. The group has placed mines all around its own bases and in many places in the countryside.
In the past, the Colombian government hired peasants and poor farmers to find mines. Many of them died trying to find the well-hidden bombs.
Colombian police official Erick Guzmán hopes the team of rats can come to the rescue(援救). “These rats will be a great help,” he said.
1.How do rats help to find land mines?
A.By their special sight. B.By their light weight.
C.By their sense of smell. D.By their excellent hearing.
2.The advantage of rats over dogs in finding bombs is that _____.
A.they are cleverer.
B.they run faster.
C.they have a better sense of smell.
D.they don’t make mines explode as easily.
3.The underlined word “They” may refer to ______.
A.scientists. B.Wistar rats.
C.dogs. D.Méndez and her team.
4.What is the passage mainly about?
A.Specially-trained rats help clear land mines.
B.People in Tanzania are suffering from land mines.
C.Dogs are no longer used to find land mines.
D.Land mines have become a great danger to Colombians.
San Francisco is a great city. Below are some ideas for educational activities and programs in San Francisco for this summer.
The San Francisco School: Summer Programs
There are summer camps for the children from pre-kindergarten through middle school at the San Francisco School. With programs such as “Fearless Writing”, “A Green World” and “Re-Making Clothing”, San Francisco becomes a great place for children to learn and have fun in the summer. Registration starts in the spring. Call 415-749-4550 to know more.
San Francisco Art Institute: Community Education
From children to elders, all people are welcome to sign up for all sorts of art classes all year round, such as “Adult Continuing Education”, “Pre-college Programs” and “A Young Artist”. Check online for schedules, class types, age groups and more or call 415-749-4500.
San Francisco University High School: Summer Program
This is a three-summer commitment and a great program preparing kids for college. It provides language and art classes in the morning and social studies such as sports and history in the afternoon. There are also fun activities such as a field day, a party night, a talent show, ect. 30 to 35 tenth-grade children are chosen each summer, so you have to fill out a form. Call 415-749-4558 to know more.
Rudolf Steiner College: Summer Programs
Rudolf Steiner has summer programs for those who want to take courses such as teaching grade courses 1 to 8. Registration is at the beginning of April. Call 415-749-4560 for more about it.
These activities and programs are usually popular, and if you are interested, get up and join us!
1.What can we know according to paragraph 3?
A.Time for registration is only in summer.
B.Kids can sign up for art classes in any season.
C.The school provides writing lessons for children.
D.Pre-school kids should sign up for classes in spring.
2.Which school offers its timetable on the website?
A.Rudolf Steiner College.
B.The San Francisco School.
C.San Francisco Art Institute.
D.San Francisco University High School.
3.If you want to know more about a talent show, you can call ?
A.415-749-4550. B.415-749-4500
C.415-749-4558. D.415-749-4560.
4.For whom will Rudolf Steiner College provide summer programs?
A.Children from any school.
B.Students from high school.
C.Kids from pre-kindergarten.
D.Those who want to be teachers.
