Many textbooks are not written in the kind of English that we speak every day. In fact, sometimes the reading is so difficult that it almost seems like a foreign language. In a way, it is—the language of science. You should not expect to be able to read a difficult science passage the same way you read an interesting story; you should not expect to read it easily and all at once. Instead, you may have to read it several times through, catching on the meaning of difficult words, going back over difficult sentences, and finally putting the whole thing together. Do not be discourages if the whole passage don’t make sense to you at first. You need to pick it apart patiently until you can understand it.
These are the steps to follow when you are reading something difficult:
² 1. Start to read normally until you run into a sentence that doesn’t make sense to you.
² 2. When a sentence doesn’t make sense, go back and read it again more slowly.
² 3. Look for any word you don’t know in the sentence. Try to understand their meanings using word parts and context clues(上下文线索). If necessary, look them up in the dictionary.
² 4. Look at the next few sentences to see if they explain more about the sentence you are working on. Do not read very much farther ahead until you understand what is being said.
² 5. Finally, read the sentence again. Try to put it into simpler words.
² 6. Read through the passage once. Try to understand all the hard parts well. Then read the whole passage once more at a usual speed. This helps you to put all ides together.
The stops sound a lot harder than they are. It is really just the normal way good readers understand anything that is difficult to read. After you have done the best you can this way, you should always feel free to ask for help from your teacher, if you have one.
1. The underlined phrase “run into” means ___________.
A. work out B. come across C. look into D. pass by
2. From the passage, we can know _________.
A. we should look up new words before reading
B. it is sometimes difficult to read a science passage
C. the six steps are helpful in learning spoken English
D. interesting stories help readers to improve their English
3. The massage is mainly about _________.
A. steps of studying science B. difficulties in reading science
C. ways of reading science passages D. researches on science and English
The population of the Earth is growing faster. It is important that we look after the Earth. We need it!
The Earth gives us a lot of things. We also give the Earth a lot, but some of the things are not good.
In nature, when something dies, other animals and plants get food from it. Every animal or plant gives food for other animals or plants. However, animals can’t get food from many of the things that we ‘give’ the Earth. Animals and plants can’t eat metal, plastic and glass. These things will stay in the ground for many, many years.
Some rubbish is very dangerous for plants and animals. In some places, many animals live together. One animal makes food for many more animals. If we put rubbish and chemicals in the water, the plankton(浮游生物) can die. If there isn’t any plankton, many animals have nothing to eat.
So what can we do? Don’t leave any rubbish in the countryside! Don’t make so much rubbish!
1. The Earth gives us ___________.
A. food B. rubbish C. chemicals D. pollution
2. When something dies in nature, _________.
A. water and grass are polluted B. plastic and wood become food
C. other animals and plants get food D. metal and glass stay in the ground
3. We must _______ to look after the Earth.
A. put metal in the ground B. use more wood
C. keep frogs in the water D. make less rubbish
Here are two letters to George and his replies.
1.Alice is worrying about ________.
A. her friends B. her marks C. her height D her weight
2. Bob should _______ according to George’s letter.
A. take more exercise B. talk to his friends
C. join a basketball team D. learn some French.
3. George advises Alice to talk to _____ for help.
A. her mother B. her teacher C. Bob’s teacher D. Bob’s friends
It was yearbook day and we were given an hour to sign each other’s yearbooks in the cafeteria. I was president of the class and I played sports. When I sat down at a table, people started to come over to get their yearbooks signed and to sign __36__.
Among them, a weak boy with ugly teeth and thick glasses kept shaking. I had seen him around, and I knew he was always laughed at. He seemed __37__ of himself, and was so pale that it __38__ us to look at him.
He came up and asked me nervously, “Can you sign this?” I took his yearbook but I didn’t know __39__ to write. I saw that there was the name “Ricky Sanders” written on the front of it. So I wrote:
 |
I put down the yearbook and turned around to get some signatures from some of my friends when I __40__ my yearbook was gone. I saw that Ricky had sat down with my yearbook. “What are you doing?” I asked him. He looked up calmly(平静地) and __41__said “Sign!”
My friends broke into a loud laugh, and I saw that he was carefully frying to put a signature in my yearbook. He hadn’t even finished the “R” yet. I thought for a while and __42__ to let him sign.
It took him nearly five minutes to sign and when I got my yearbook back, there was a very shaky “RICKY”. He hugged(紧抱) his yearbook and __43__. I couldn’t help but smile back at him.
In that moment, my __44__ changed completely.
I gave him a high five and suddenly everyone at my table wanted his signature. He was asked politely to write in their yearbooks and the signature __45__ of his yearbook were filled up. He was smiling so big that it lit up the whole room.
I changed school the next year, and I never saw Ricky again. However, I will never forget the day that he became the most __46__ guy in school. Whenever I’m __47__, I still look back at that yearbook.
1. A. mine B. his C. ours D. theirs
2. A. unafraid B. unsure C. proud D. tired
3. A. worried B. surprised C. taught D. hurt
4. A. how B. which C. where D. what
5.A. saw B. noticed C. thought D. believed
6. A. still B. ever C. even D. just
7. decided B. meant C. began D. prepared
8. A. smiled B. waited C. left D. rose
9. A. sense B. value C. attitude D. idea
10. A. lists B. pages C. boxes D. tables
11. A. different B. patient C. popular D. important
12. A. away B. out C. behind D. down
–Do you know ______ the Capital Museum? –Next Friday.
A. when will they visit B. when they will visit
C. when did they visit D. when they visited
The road ______ last year.
A. builds B. built C. was built D. is built
