I will never forget the very moment
that caused me to leave my gift behind because I wanted the gift that my older
sister Maria had.
My family was spending a week at the beach. One morning, Maria went to the beach early, but I stayed behind to finish a drawing of a seashell. After finishing the drawing, I walked to join Maria. She was a top gymnast (体操运动员). Her show was perfect as she wheeled along the beach. The beauty of that sight froze me, and I decided immediately that I too would become a gymnast like her.
I knew that I had never been very good at sports. However, when I told my parents I wanted to take a gymnastics class, they agreed with me in surprise. The next week, I went to a beginners’ class.
If only my parents had talked me out of this misguided plan! Five minutes into the first class, it was clear that I didn’t have the gift of a gymnast. But I kept at it.
During this time, drawing and painting—which had been my two favorites—all but left my mind. It must have been hurting for my family as they watched my hopeless efforts. I blindly decided to be like Maria. I just would not give up.
At the same time, on the advice of Ms. White, my art teacher, I hurriedly handed in my seashell drawing for an art contest in our town. One night as I was having a hard time practicing, the phone rang. It was Ms. White. “Alice, you won the contest!” she said loudly.
“Really?” was all I could reply.
“Yes,” Ms. White said. “They’re going to give you a prize. And that’s not all. The winner is also accepted into Wildale’s Summer Fine Arts Institute.” I couldn’t believe what I heard. Only a handful of young artists were accepted each summer.
That night I didn’t go back into the living room to continue practicing. Gymnastics was Maria’s gift, not mine. It had taken me a while, but I realized that I had a gift of my own.
1.Alice wanted to be a gymnast because ________.
A. she had been good at sports B. her sister’s show was perfect
C. she hated drawing and painting D. her parents wanted her to do so
2. How did Alice feel about learning gymnastics at last?
A. Satisfied. B. Worried. C. Hopeful D. Regretful.
3. From the story, we can infer that ________.
A. Alice’s parents disagreed with her choice of gymnastics
B. Alice did not realize her gift in drawing and painting at first
C. Alice spent a hard time preparing for the art contest in the town
D. Alice couldn’t believe the news that she got the prize for painting
4. What does the writer want to tell us according to the passage?
A. We should value our own gifts. B. It takes time to find one’s gifts.
C. We could develop different gifts. D. It’s never too late to show our gifts.
Oriole’s Nest
Picky, Picky
Scientists have no idea exactly why birds choose certain objects to build their nests. But scientists know that the main reason birds build nests is to keep their babies safe, warm and healthy.
Baby birds grow faster and are healthier when they are warm. They also learn to fly and leave the nests sooner than birds without warm homes.
What A Yarn (纱)
Yarn is big on an oriole’s shopping list during nest building. Scientists are still trying to work out why so many birds choose white yarn over other colors for nest building.
Scientists think that the white objects remind birds of cotton fluff (绒毛) they find in the wild.
Do It Naturally
Even though birds can help us recycle some of our junk by using it to build nests, they also need to use lots of natural things. Long grass, dried sticks, spider’s silk and mud are some of the natural ingredients that are good for nests, too.
You can make a collection box of things to leave for birds so they can help themselves. Hang a small plastic box with holes on a tree branch. Fill the box freely with nest building goodies. Hang the box on a tree and watch birds climb on board to pick through the junk to find their treasures.
Warning: Don’t let the birds turn into a tasty treat. Keep your bird station away from places where cats hang out.
For The Birds!
Stop! Don’t throw all that garbage out! Give some to the birds. Look and see how your old junk can help beautify and warm a bird’s new home.
1.The baby birds with warm homes are able to _____.
A. choose right objects B. leave the nests sooner
C. build good nests D. learn to fly higher
2. What can people make for birds to build nests?
A. Holes on the tree. B. Food out of the rubbish.
C. A warning board. D. A collection box of things.
3.What can we learn from the passage?
A. Birds build nests to store things.
B. Birds regard white objects as cotton.
C. Birds and humans can help each other.
D. Birds and cats fight against each other.
1.We need ________ kinds of things to make an ALL ABOUT ME box.
A. two B. three C. four D. five
2.What should we do first to make an ALL ABOUT ME box?
A. Color the inside of the box. B. Turn the box on its side.
C. Put the name inside the box. D. Make a list of favorite foods.
3.An ALL ABOUT ME box tells about ________.
A. a toy B. a book C. a person D. a picture
One night, I wondered what it
would be like if I only asked questions. I decided that no matter what anyone
said to me the next day, I would reply only with 36 .
I loved to read about scientists and their discoveries, and I knew that scientists always started their research with a question. I hoped that I could become a scientist. Maybe by asking questions, I could train my mind to be 37 .
I survived the morning easily. “Is there any egg?” I answered when my mother asked what I wanted for breakfast. “Is this seat taken?” I asked when my friend Mike asked where he was going to 38 on the bus.
In the classroom, Mr. Black spoke slowly and clearly while I listened carefully. The problem had been part of my homework the night before. I wrote the answer on the board, “Could the answer be 361?”
Mr. Black smiled and nodded. I thought,“How did I 39 to get through that?” I almost laughed because asking questions really was starting to become a 40 .
I thought I had made it safely through the whole day, 41 what I had come to consider my experiment blew up at the dinner table when my dad asked me about my day. “What do I always do?” I replied.
My parents looked at each other. My father 42 again. “Well, I hope you went to school,” he said.
“Uhhh … why would you think otherwise?” I asked. My parents exchanged another 43
and were becoming annoyed.
“Do you think questions are a good way to train your mind to be active?” I asked.
“It 44 the question,” said my father. “Some questions are asked for 45 information. Those are good mind-training questions. Sometimes, people use questions to get the other person to say something. Sometimes people ask questions to get someone to agree with them. Those questions don’t really achieve anything.”
“I guess my experiment didn’t work,” I said, and I told my father about my 46 .
“I think it worked 47 !” my father said. “You made a discovery, didn’t you? What matters is that you have put your idea into practice.”
1.A. actions B. answers C. gestures D. questions
2.A. deep B. free C. quick D. strong
3.A. get B. sit C. come D. take
4.A. fail B. have C. want D. manage
5.A. habit B. step C. goal D. rule
6.A. or B. so C. but D. and
7.A. tried B. asked C. guessed D. ordered
8. A. look B. word C. mind D. topic
9.A. refers to B. belongs to C. puts on D. depends on
10.A. sending B. finding C. sharing D. keeping
11.A. test B. idea C. plan D. wonder
12.A. slowly B. safely C. perfectly D. properly
I don’t know ________. Could you help me?
A. where was his new home B. where is his new home
C. where his new home was D. where his new home is.
--- Is Jason going to the party?
--- I’m afraid not. He ________ to Hong Kong.
A. goes B. went C. has gone D. was going
