This year is a leap year. Leap years are years with 366 days, instead of the usual 365. Leap years are necessary because the actual length of a year is 365.242 days, not 365 days, as commonly stated. Basically, leap years come every 4 years, and most years that can be evenly(平均地) divided by 4 have 366 days. This extra day is added to the calendar on February 29th which is known as a leap day. Why leap is used here? Leap means jump.
However, there is one exception to the leap year rule about century years. Century years are only considered as leap years if they are evenly divided by 400. Therefore, 1900 was not a leap year, but 2000 was a leap year.
A person who is born on February 29th may be called a "leapling" or a "leap year baby". In non-leap years, some leaplings celebrate(庆祝) their birthday on either February 28th or March 1st. In England and Wales or in Hong Kong, a person born on February 29th, 1996, will have legally(法律上) reached 18 years old on March 1st, 2014. If he or she was born in the United States, Taiwan or New Zealand, his or her legally birthday will come a day earlier.
There is a popular custom in some countries that a woman may ask a man to marry her on February 29th. If the man refuses, he then has to give the woman money or buy her a dress.
Since leap days are special days, people nowadays want to do something different within the 24 extra hours. Big jumps are the most popular ones.
Some salaried(领薪水的) workers want to get pay for their extra day’s work. But in my opinion, if you know why there is a leap day, you will get the answer to this problem.
1. The next leap year is .
A. 2014 B. 2016 C. 2018
2. American boy Toby is a leapling. Next year he will probably to have his birthday party on .
A. February 28th B. February 29th C. March 1st
3. Which picture is about popular custom on leap days?
A. 
B.
C.
4.. Many people like to have a big jump on leap days probably because .
A. it’s a custom B. they are leaplings C. leap means jump
5.We can learn from the passage that .
A. 2100 will not be a leap year
B. every year leaplings celebrate their birthday on either February 28th or March 1st
C. it is necessary to pay the salaried workers for the leap day’s work
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Skipping Stones It is a nonprofit(非盈利的) children’s magazine. It provides a playful place for sharing ideas and experiences among children from different countries and cultures. Skipping Stones welcomes art and original writings in every language and from all ages. Non-English writings are accompanied(伴有) by English translations to encourage the learning of other languages |
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Creative Kids It includes stories, games, opinions, poems and drawings by and for kids. Students from all over the world write for the magazine. It is recommended for kids ages 8 to 14. Published by Prufrock Press, which aims to encourage the creativity of readers and invites children to display their creative work. |
New Moon It is an international magazine designed for every girl who wants her voice heard and her dreams taken seriously. It is for girls aged 8-14. The magazine includes stories, poems, artwork, personal profiles and a variety of good articles. It provides a place for girls to express themselves and communicate with other girls around the world. |
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Calliope Discover the mysteries of the past with CALLIOPE! This magazine can bring young people face to face with history-makers in places and cultures from around the world. It is designed to help readers of grades 5-9 to know more about historical events. |
Ranger Rick It is a monthly magazine for children aged 7-12. It features colorful animal photos, funny drawings, and exciting stories. Ranger Rick is published by the National Wildlife Federation and focuses on teaching young kids about wildlife, nature and the environment. |
1.The magazine published by Prufrock Press aims to encourage children to .
A. learn from others B. read more classic books C. be more creative
2.New Moon is a little bit special because .
A. it is a magazine only for girls
B. it is for children aged 8-14.
C. it has many good stories for children.
3. Sally is twelve years old. Her favorite subject is history. She may like .
A. Skipping Stones B. Calliope C. New Moon
4. What do we learn about the magazine Skipping Stones?
A. It makes money for poor children.
B. You may find Chinese articles in it.
C. It mainly displays writing from adults
5. Mrs Smith’s eight-year-old son is interested in nature, so she would choose for him.
A. Ranger Rick B. Creative Kids C. New Moon
Harvey was having his hair cut in a barber shop when a young boy entered the shop. The barber said to Harvey in a very low voice, "This is the silliest kid in the world. Watch while I show it to you." The barber put a dollar bill in one hand and two quarters(25美分) in the other, then called the boy over and asked, "Which do you want, son?" The boy took the quarters and left. "What did I tell you?" said the barber. "That kid never learns!"
Later, when Harvey left, he saw the same young boy coming out of an ice cream store. "Hey, son! May I ask you a question? Why did you take the quarters instead of the dollar bill?" The boy ate his ice cream and replied, "Because the day I take the dollar, the game's over!
1. The barber gave the boy money because he .
A. wanted the boy to help him B. loved the boy C. wanted to prove(证明) his words.
2. The boy got from the barber.
A. one dollar B. 50 cents(美分) C. a quarter
3. The sentence “the game's over” here means .
A. he can’t play the computer game any longer
B. he can never get money from the barber
C. he can never go to the barber shop
4.We can learn that is the smartest one among the three people in this story.
A. the boy B. the barber C. Harvey
5. We can infer(推断) from the passage that .
A. The young boy was the barber’s son
B. Every time the boy got the money, he went to buy an ice cream.
C. The barber thought the boy wasn’t clever at all.
A passenger(乘客) told a flight attendant that he needed a cup of water to take his medicine just as the plane was taking off. She told him that she would bring him the 1 in ten minutes.
Thirty minutes later, when the passenger’s ring for service sounded, the flight attendant felt 2 . She was so busy that she has forgotten to give him the water. 3 , the passenger couldn’t take his medicine on time. She hurried over to him with a cup of water, but he 4 it.
In the following hours on the flight, each time the flight attendant passed by the passenger, she would ask him with a smile if he needed anything. But he asked for 5 .
When he was getting 6 the plane, the passenger asked the flight attendant to hand him a service review(评论) card. She knew that he would write something 7 , but she politely handed it to him.
Later, she looked at the card and a smile came over her face. “On the flight, you asked me whether I needed 8 or not 12 times in all,” the passenger wrote. “How can I refuse your 12 sincere 9 ?”
10 after someone does something wrong, no one can say no to 12 sincere smiles.
1. A. water B. medicine C. juice
2.A. excited B. surprised C. worried
3.A. After all B. So far C. As a result
4.A. took B. refused C. threw
5.A. nothing B. everything C. something
6. A. on B. off C. to
7. A. unfair B. pleasant C. bad
8. A. help B. drink C. food
9.. A. smiles B. invitations C. advice
10.. A. Though B. Even C. If
. – ?
– Well, Sandy is a bit wilder than her sister, and smarter.
A. What are they like B. What do they like C. What do they look like
– Would you mind moving your car?
– . I’ll do it right away.
A. No, not at all. B. Yes, you’re welcome C. Certainly, it’s my pleasure
