In October 2012, I joined an organization to volunteer to work in Thailand. When I arrived in Thailand, I thought I would be taken to an orphanage（孤儿院）. However, I was told that I had to go to the place where I would live by train alone. And then I knew that my job was to teach English in a school instead of working at an orphanage.

The next day I went to the school and met the kids I would teach. In the classroom, the kids looked at me, saying nothing. No one could speak English. But from their eyes, I knew they were really nervous to learn English, It seemed like a big challenge for me, but that was just what I wanted.

Although I loved the kids and the challenge, my life in Thailand was quite hard at first. I was alone and there was nobody I could talk to. However, I didn’t give up. If I had been afraid of difficulties, I wouldn’t have traveled all the way from England to Thailand to be a volunteer. Little by little, I learned some Thai（泰国语）and started to fall in love with Thailand. Every time I saw the kids’ pleasure of learning English, I was happy and felt that what I was doing was really worthwhile.

Now I’m working in a hospital in Thailand. If you also want to be a volunteer like me, don’t worry too much about the food or the place where you live. After all, as a volunteer, the most important thing is to help people who need help!

1.What did the writer think she would do in Thailand at first?

A. Teach in a school.

B. Work at an orphanage.

C. Provide service for volunteers.

D. Work in a hospital.

2.How did the writer feel when she started her job on the first day?

A. She wasn’t interested in it at all.

B. She wanted to go back home.

C. She felt her job was very easy.

D. She thought it hard but interesting.

3.The underlined word “worthwhile” means “________” in Chinese.

A. 值得的   B. 费力的   C.无聊的    D.轻松的

4.Which of the following is RIGHT about the writer?

A. She may come from England.  

B. She can only speak English now.

C. She doesn’t like teaching children very much.

D. She thought her volunteer experience was terrible.

5.The writer tells us her experience as a volunteer to ________________.

A. explain that being a volunteer in a strange country isn’t a good idea

B. tell people not to worry about their food and housing conditions

C. explain that it’s very important for children to learn English

D. show that a volunteer should face difficulties bravely（勇敢地）

We spoke to three students from around the world about different national holidays. There are different customs for each festival.

Tan Xiaodong, 15, Hong Kong, China

“It’ll soon be the Chinese New Year. Before it, we’ll clean the house and decorate it for good luck. Every shop is going to close for a few days and we’ll go out a lot to celebrate on the streets. We might go and see the lion and dragon dances in the city center. I love this festival.”

Wendy, 16, Sydney, Australia

“Australia Day is on 26th January and it’s an important holiday here. We always have a Monday off, so we celebrate for three days. My parents and I go to the countryside for a picnic and friends always come over. Many people go to beach parties or street parties and there’s lots of music and dancing. What fun!”

Amy, 14, New York, the US

“The first Thanksgiving was celebrated hundreds of years ago when Europeans who came to America thanked God for his help. It’s still a very important day for family members to be together. This year we’re going to visit my grandparents and we’ll eat a delicious meal of turkey. Thanksgiving is on the 4th Thursday in November every year.”

1.How many festivals are mentioned in the passage?

A. Two.   B. Three.    C. Four.    D. Five.

2.During the Chinese New Year, tourists can ________.

A. do a lot of shopping

B. eat turkey

C. decorate the house for good luck

D. see lion and dragon dances

3.On Australia Day, family members often ________.

A. have a meal in the countryside

B. go to a swimming pool

C. have a party at school

D. clean the house and dance

4.What do you think a turkey is in this passage?

A. A country.    B. A festival.

C. A bird.       D. A kind of drink

5.From the passage, we can learn that _________.

A. Australia Day is an important day for family members to get together

B. Different festivals have different customs

C. Many people go out for a picnic with friends before the Chinese New Year

D. The first Thanksgiving was born a hundred years ago

What does “self-control” mean? Suppose you have a ticket for an exciting film which you want to see very much, but unluckily you have to study   an exam tomorrow. What will you do? See the film   study for the exam? If you can give up seeing the film and work hard at your   , it means that you have self-control. Self-control is not something that you have at birth. It needs to be cultivated in your life.

Often, young children are easily   when their needs or wishes are not met at once. Almost daily, children see a lot of food, toys and activities that are attractive to them. Many time children do not know how to   their frustration（挫折） when they are told “no” or “later”. Also, sometimes young children do not understand    they are not allowed to do anything. In order to have positive experiences at home and at school, children need to learn   to properly deal with their feelings when they cannot have something. These skills will increase children’s self- control.

Don’t go to bed late because of a nice TV program, or you may go to school   and it is a waste of time. Every one of us has some hobbies, a few of which may   us from making progress in life. We must use our   to become free of them.

1.A. for    B. at    C. on   D. about

2.A. and       B. while   C. but   D. or

3.A. school   B. lessons  C. films   D. listening

4.A. happy   B. upset   C. tired   D. excited

5.A. begin with  B. play with  C. deal with  D. do with

6.A. what       B. which   C. why   D. who

7.A. skills   B. lessons  C. ways   D. strategies

8.A. early       B. late   C. on time  D. slowly

9.A. leave   B. make   C. keep   D. push

10.A. decision   B. energy   C. knowledge  D. self-control

Could you please tell me ________? I want to send two letters to my friends.

A. where the post office is

B. how can I get to the post office

C. where is the post office

D. how I can get to the cinema

The ________ you are, the fewer mistakes you will make.

A. careful           B. much careful

C. more careful      D. most careful

Why don’t you ________ an English club to practice ________ English?

A. to join; to speak      B. to join; speaking 

C. join; to speak        D. join; speaking

Learning about culture is ________ as learning grammar and words.

A. more important      B. as important 

C. most important      D. same important

The teacher speaks very loudly ________ all the students can hear her.

A. so that   B. because   C. since    D. when

—Have you ever been to Shanghai?

—Yes. I _________ there with my father last year.

A. went  B. have been     C. have gone   D. has been

—Do you like talking with your friends on the telephone or mobile phone?

—________. I enjoy chatting online.

A. None    B. Either    C. Both    D. Neither