Tomorrow is Garfield’s birthday. He first appeared in a comic strip on June 19, 1978. Garfield is well known all over the world. Lots of Garfield books have been turned into 26 languages. Garfield products are sold in 69 countries.
Jim Davis is Garfield’s creator. Jim was born on July 28, 1945 in Indiana. He grew up on a farm where his dad raised cows. Jim and his brother Dave helped with the farm work. They had 25 cats. Their room always made sure there was plenty of food for the cats.
As a boy, Jim was in poor health. When he had to spend time resting, he drew pictures. He added words to his pictures to make them funny.
After college Jim worked a few years at an advertising company. In 1969, he got a job to help a cartoonist. Jim noticed that there were many comic strips about dogs but few about cats. He thought that was strange since the world is full of cat lovers.
He remembered the 25 farm cats he grew up with. They gave him ideas for a cat comic strip. In the comic strip. Garfield became the central character in daily difficult experiences with Jon, his owner, and other characters. He is lazy, funny and hungry.
Jim Davis has received many awards for his work. Twice he was given the Best Humor Strip Cartoonist of the Year Award. He has won four Emmys(艾美奖）and other honors.
1. How old was Jim when Garfield first appeared in a comic strip?
A. 33. B. 26. C. 25. D. 24.
2. Who does the underlined word “He” refer to in the fifth paragraph?
A. Jim. B. Jon. C. Dave. D. Garfield.
3. According to the passage, which of the following is TRUE?
A. Jim Davis created Garfield with the help of his brother.
B. Garfield products are available in all countries of the world.
C. The cats his family raised made no contributions to his creation.
D. There were few comic strips about cats until Jim crated Garfield.
4. The writer’s main purpose of writing the passage is _________.
A. to tell us to watch more comic strips
B. to show us how to become a cartoonist
C. to introduce some information about Jim Davis
D. to prove Garfield the most popular cartoon character
Four New Cool Inventions
Mip
Mip, a playful robot, was developed by a Canadian toy maker named Wowwee. It stands 19 cm tall. You can control it simply with your gestures(手势) or a smart phone. Mip can run, balance and dance on two wheels. It can also bring you a bottle of water.
Android Wear
Google is developing a smart watch called Android Wear. The watch uses a touchscreen and voice control. Simply say “OK, Google” to ask what ever you want to know. For example, say “OK, Goodgle. Where’s the nearest toy store?” Your answer will tell you the answer on Google Maps.
Le Pen
Do you like listening to music while doing homework? If you do, you will like Le Pen. With a music player planted inside, Le Pen plays music while you write on paper. The music stops when you stop writing. So if you want to enjoy more of your favourite songs, keep on writing.
One wheel
In the near future you may find a new way to escape traffic: a self-balancing skateboard called Onewheel. It can go as fast as 19km an hour. On a single charge(充电), it can take you as far as 7-10km.
1. If you want to enjoy music while writing, you can choose________.
2. According to the passage, Android Wear can_________.
A. go as fast as 19km an hour
B. tell you how to get to some places
C. run, balance, dance and even serve you
D. play music while you writing on paper
3. In which part of a newspaper can you find in the passage?
A. Culture. B. Literature.
C. Science. D. History
The Other Side of the Wall
There was a young woman who took great pride in her flower garden. She was raised by her grandmother who taught her to love and for flowers. So her flower garden was the best.
One day, while she was looking through a flower list she often from, a picture of a plant caught her eyes. She had never blooms(花) on a flower like that before. “I have to have it,” she said to herself, and she ordered it.
When it arrived, she already had a prepared to plant it. She planted it at the back of her yard. It grew well, with beautiful green leaves all over it, there were no blooms. Day after day she continued to water it, feed it, and she even talked to it trying to make it bloom. However, it was .
One morning weeks later, when standing before the vine, she felt very that her plant had not bloomed. She was giving thought to it down and planting something else in its place.
It was at this point that her neighbor, whose joined hers, called over to her. “Thank you so much! You can’t imagine how much I have the blooms of that vine you planted.” The young woman walked the gate into her neighbor’s yard, and sure enough, she saw that on the other side of the wall the vine was with blooms.
There were indeed the most beautiful blooms she had seen. The vine had grown through the crevices(缝隙) and it had not flowered on side of the wall, but it had flowered on the other side.
Sometimes one may not see the good result of his effort, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t successful.
1.A. look B. care C. search D. pay
2.A. learned B. heard C. ordered D. borrowed
3.A. seen B. smelt C. sold D. picked
4.A. finally B. carefully C. suddenly D. immediately
5.A. place B. box C. cup D. room
6.A. and B. so C. or D. but
7.A. endless B. useless C. successful D. hopeful
8.A. excited B. nervous C. sad D. frightened
9.A. putting B. cutting C. turning D. taking
10.A. balcony B. kitchen C. bedroom D. yard
11.A. enjoyed B. dreamed C. expected D. hated
12.A. through B. across C. above D. below
13.A. satisfied B. connected C. filled D. pleased
14.A. never B. ever C. seldom D. usually
15.A. its B. his C. her D. their
－Shall we ask more friends to help raise money for charity?
－Good idea. As an old saying goes, ________.
A. many hands make light work
B. too many cooks spoil the broth
C. don’t put all your eggs in one basket
D. it is better to be safe than sorry
－Mum, I won the first prize in the school drawing competition.
－_________, Sam. I’m proud of you!
A. Have a good time. B. Good luck.
C. Best wishes D. Congratulations
UNICEF was ______in 1946. It works to help children live a better life.
A. set up B. put up
C. picked up D. turned up
