In this age of Internet chat, videogames and reality television, there is no shortage of mindless activities to keep a child occupied. Yet despite the competition, my 8-year-old daughter Rebecca wants to spend her leisure time writing short stories. She wants to enter one of her stories into a writing contest, a competition which she won last year.
As a writer, I know about winning contests – and about losing them. I know what it is like to work hard on a story only to receive a rejection letter from the publisher. I also know the pressure of trying to live up to a reputation created by previous victories. What if she doesn’t win the contest again? That’s the strange thing about being a parent. So many of our own past scars and destroyed hopes can resurface in our children.
A revelation (启示) came last week when I asked her, “Don’t you want to win again?” “No,” she replied, “I just want to tell the story of an angel going to first grade.”
I had just spent weeks correcting her stories as she spontaneously (自发地) told them. Telling myself that I was merely an experienced writer guiding the young writer across the hall, I offered suggestions for characters, conflicts and endings for her tales. The story about a fearful angel starting first grade was quickly “guided” by me into the tale of a little girl with a wild imagination taking her first music lesson. I had turned her contest into my contest without even realizing it.
Staying back and giving kids space to grow is not as easy as it looks. Because I know very little about farm animals who use tools or angels who go to first grade, I had to accept the fact that I was co-opting my daughter’s experience.
While stepping back was difficult for me, it was certainly a good first step that I will quickly follow with more steps, putting myself far enough away to give her room but close enough to help if asked. All the while I will be reminding myself that children need room to experiment, grow and find their own voices.
1.What do we learn from the first paragraph?
A.A lot of amusements compete for children’s time nowadays.
B.Children have lots of fun doing mindless activities.
C.Rebecca is much too busy to enjoy her leisure time.
D.Rebecca draws on a lot of online materials for her writing.
2.What did the author say about her own writing experience?
A.She was constantly under pressure to write more.
B.Most of her stories had been rejected by publishers.
C.She did not quite live up to her reputation as a writer.
D.Her road to success was full of pain and frustrations.
3.Why did Rebecca want to enter this year’s writing contest?
A.She believed she possessed real talent for writing.
B.She was sure of winning with her mother’s help.
C.She wanted to share her stories with readers.
D.She had won a prize in the previous contest.
4.The underlined sentence probably means that the author was _______.
A.trying not to let her daughter enjoy her own life
B.trying to get her daughter to do the thing as the author wished
C.making sure that her daughter would win the contest
D.helping her daughter develop real skills for writing
This is what HBO’s Veep has been trying to do—by making US presidential election into a comedy.
Presented for the first time in 2012, Veep follows the daily life of Selina Meyer, the fictional vice-president (or “Veep” for short) of the US. We see that as much as Meyer wants to have an influence, she—despite being the second-in-command of the country—is constantly ignored by the president and kept away from important meetings. Meyer herself isn’t exactly competent: she has to put out political fires every once in a while but usually ends up making things worse.
The show also finds humor in a much darker side of politics: the unreal smiles and wrongdoings of politicians. When a mass shooting happens in the show, for example, instead of feeling shocked, Meyer is actually glad, because she feels it may help draw people’s attention from her. “It feels like peeking (窥视) behind a curtain and seeing the truth of who these politicians really are,” wrote reporter Kathryn VanArendonk.
But Veep is refreshing not just for the way it handles politics, but also because its leading role is a woman politician, especially in a comedy, considering the fact that comedies used to be an all-male kingdom. “There’s more opportunity (机会) for women in comedic roles than 20 or 30 years ago,” Julia Louis-Dreyfus, 58 this year, who plays Meyer, said. “There’s more opportunity for roles that are not just the angry wife or the cute girlfriend.”
In the 7th and final season of Veep, which came out on March 31, 2019, Meyer is finally running for president. No matter where the show—and Meyer—is heading, and whether you appreciate its way to deal with politics, the bottom line here is that Veep is funny.
1.Which of the following best describes Meyer?
A.Hardworking and demanding. B.Humorous and influential.
C.Ambitious but untalented. D.Educated but lazy.
2.How old was Julia Louis Dreyfus when Veep’s first season came out？
A.49. B.51.
C.53. D.58.
3.What can know about women according to Julia Louis ---Dreyfus?
A.They are fit for politics.
B.They don’t like comedies.
C.They were left out of some fields.
D.They seldom used to be successful.
4.What is the best title for the text?
A.Meyer runs for president B.Politics can be funny
C.Women like power D.A comedian realizes her dream
Derek Rabclo is not the only surfer to conquer Hawaii' s famous Pipeline big wave break, but while all others use their sight to do it, this young professional surfer must rely only on his other senses. That's because he is completely blind.
When Derek was born, over 24 years ago, he got his name from Derek Ho, the first Hawaiian surfing world champion. A surfing enthusiast himself, Emesto dreamed that his son would share the talent of his uncle, a professional surfer. Unfortunately, Derek was born completely blind, but this didn't slop his family from believing lhat he could do anything he wanted, even if that meant becoming a surfer.
At age 2, Derek received a bodyboard and the beaches of Guarapari, Brazil, became his backyard. He was always comfortable in the water and surfing was in his blood, but he didn’t actually try riding a wave until he turned 17, when his father bought him a surfboard. His father taught him the basics and encouraged him to keep practicing, but after successfully standing up on the surfboard, Derek knew he needed to become much better if he was going to achieve Emesto's dream and become a professional surfer. So he joined the Praia do Moroo surf school, where he studied under coach Fabio Maru.
Standing up on a surfboard and conquering small waves is one thing, while gathering the courage to take on Hawaii's board-breaking Pipeline is another. But that’s exactly what Derek Rabelo set out to do just months after learning how to surf. Everyone told him it was too dangerous, but he felt he could do it. And he did, earning the praise of famous professional surfers like Kelly Slater and Mick Fanning. Now 24, Rabelo has been surfing the Pipeline every winter since.
1.What does the first paragraph tell us?
A.Good eyesight is necessary for becoming good suffers.
B.Nobody has ever conquered Hawaii’s big wave break.
C.Derek Rabelo dreams to conquer Hawaii's big wave break.
D.Derek Rabelo is the only blind professional surfer to conquer Hawaii’s big wave break.
2.How did Ernesto behave after Derek was born?
A.He named him after his uncle. B.He never lost confidence in him.
C.He sent him to a surfing champion. D.He started his own interest in surfing.
3.After Derek was able to stand up on the surfboard, he_______________ .
A.began to try riding a wave B.was no longer afraid of water
C.realized he still had a long way to go D.knew his father’s dream had come true
4.Which of the following words can best describe Derek according to the last paragraph?
A.Brave and confident. B.Skillful but proud.
C.Thoughtful and modest. D.Courageous but stubborn.
In Britain, many theatres put on shows for children at Christmas and many theatres have a theatre-in-education team working there. This team, made up of actors and teachers, writes plays for children, usually performing them in schools. They do different plays for different age groups and the children often take part in the play in some way.
Pantomime is a special kind of Christmas show for children. It is loved by people and also allows the audience to join in. “Pantomime” was the name of the Roman actor who performed shows without speaking — this is where the English word “mime” comes from.
A pantomime is always based on a well-known children's story. But there are always certain types of characters in the show and certain situations and events. For example, a pantomime must always include a hero, known as the “principal boy” and this principal boy is always played by a pretty girl wearing a short costume. Then there is the comic older woman, known as the “dame” who is played by a man. There is always a group of men and women who sing and dance and often there is a pantomime horse. The horse is played by two men who form the “front” and “back” ends inside a “horse” costume. It is funny and it usually kicks the dame when she isn't looking.
Members of the audience have to shout a warning to one of the characters and argue with the character (usually the dame) when she does not believe them. When she shouts, “Oh no, it isn't,” the audience always responds with “Oh yes, it is!”. The audience also learns and sings a simple song and a few children are sometimes invited to help one of the characters during the show.
1.The theatre-in-education teams _____.
A.are made up of famous local actors
B.write plays for the same age group
C.often give plays in their own theatres
D.usually allow children to join in a play
2.According to the text, a pantomime _____.
A.is designed to make people laugh
B.is made up of three characters
C.is especially popular with grown-ups
D.can be watched all year round in Britain
3.When the dame says, “Yes, it is”, the audience should _____.
A.follow her and sing
B.stand up and dance
C.repeat what she says
D.disagree with her loudly
假定你是班长李华。你们班本周日将组织同学们去参观历史博物馆，请你给交换生Ben发一封电子邮件，告知活动的相关安排。内容包括：
1. 时间安排；
2. 参观要求；
3. 观后感受。
注意：
1. 词数100左右；
2. 可适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。
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假定英语课上老师要求同学们交换修改作文，请你修改你同桌写的以下作文。文中共有10处语言错误，每句中最多有两处.错误涉及一个单词的增加、删除或修改。
增加：在缺词处加一个漏字符号（∧ ），并在其下面写上该加的词。
删除：把多余的词用斜线（\）划掉。
修改：在错的词下划一横线，并在该词下面写上修改后的词。
注意：
1. 每处错误及其修改均仅限一词；
2. 只允许修改10处，多者（从第11处起）不计分。
That we all know, it’s of greatly importance to get into a good living habit. Here is some suggestions for good living habits .
Firstly, get enough sleep. Enough sleep can provide us good energy. It’s important for us to go to the bed early and get up early. Secondly, keep healthy eating habits. Good eating habits can help us balances nutrition. So we should eat more vegetables and little meat. Thirdly, do exercise more. Do sports every day can keep us active all day long, help us build up your body and reduce diseases.
Please pay attention to these points but keep a healthy body.
