Why play games? Because they are fun, and a lot more besides. Following the rules, planning your next move, acting as a team member------these are all “game” ideas that you will have throughout your life.
Think about some of the games you played as a young child, such as rope-jumping and hide-and-seek. Some games are entertaining and fun. But perhaps more importantly, they translate life into exciting dreams that teach children some of the basic rules they will be expected to follow the rest of their lives, such as taking turns and teamwork.
Many children’s games have a practical side. Children around the world play games that prepare them for work they will do as adults. For example, some Saudi Arabian children play a game called bones. It can be very helpful to exercise their hands and eyes, which is needed in hunting.
Many sports encourage national or local pride. The most famous games of all, the Olympic Games, bring athletes from around the world together to take part in the friendly competition. People who watch the event wave flags, knowing that a gold medal is a win for a whole country, not just the athlete who has got it. For countries experiencing natural disasters or war, an Olympic win can mean so much.
Sports are also an event that brings people together. Soccer is the most popular sport in the world. People on all continents play it------some for fun and some for a living. Nicolette Iribarne, a Californian soccer player, has discovered a way to spread hope through soccer. He set up an organization which can provide poor children with not only soccer balls but also a hopeful future.
Next time, when you play your favorite game or sport, think about why you enjoy it, what skills are needed, and whether these skills will help you in your life.
1.The underlined part “translate life into exciting dreams” in Paragraph 2 most probably
means that games can ________.
A. describe life in an exciting way
B. turn real-life experiences into a play
C. change people’s views of sporting events
D. teach children something useful and important
2.What does the underlined word “it” in Paragraph 4 refer to?
A. The whole country.
B. The gold medal.
C. The event.
D. The game.
3.According to the passage, why is winning Olympic medals so encouraging?
A. It means a lot for a whole country.
B. It proves how excellent the winners are.
C. It helps the country out of natural disasters.
D. It brings the winners satisfaction and money.
4.Which of the following statements is NOT true?
A. The most famous games are the Olympic Games.
B. People around the world play soccer just for fun.
C. The game called bones can be helpful to the Arabian children.
D. Nicolette Iribarne gives poor children a chance for a better life.
5.What is the passage mainly about?
A. The popular games.
B. Games and real life.
C. The advantages of games.
D. Children’s games and the future.
Having returned from her round trip, the angry woman stood outside the ticket office of the station. “The railway should pay me back￡12, so you owe me the money,” she said to Harry Jenks, the young man who was working at the office. “You sold me a ticket for May 22nd, but there was no ship from Jersey that night. So my daughter and I had to stay in a hotel. It cost me ￡12.”
Harry was worried. He remembered selling the woman a return ticket. “Come into the office, Madam,” he said politely, “I’ll just check the Jersey timetable for May 22nd.”
The woman and her little girl followed him inside. She was quite right, as Harry soon discovered. There was no sailing on May 22nd. How could he have made such a careless mistake? He shouldn’t have sold her a ticket for that day. Wondering what to do, he smiled at the child. “You look sun burnt,” he said to her, “Did you have a nice holiday in Jersey?”
“Yes,” she answered, shyly, “The beach was lovely. And I can swim, too!”
“That’s fine,” said Harry. “My little girl can’t swim a bit yet. Of course, she’s only three…”
“I’m four,” the child said proudly, “I’ll be four and a half.”
Harry turned to the mother. “I remember your ticket, Madam,” he said, “But you didn’t get one for your daughter, did you?”
“Er, well…”woman looked at the child, “I mean… she hasn’t started school yet. She’s only four.”
“A four-year-old child must have a ticket, Madam. A child’s return ticket to Jersey costs…let me see…￡13.50. So if the railway pays your hotel, you will owe￡1.50. The law is the law, but since the fault was mine…”
1.What happened to the woman?
A. She had to buy the return ticket in Jersey.
B. She had to return home a day earlier.
C. She had to stay in a hotel for one night.
D. She couldn’t use the ticket for the round trip.
2.Which of the following is true?
A. Harry’s daughter could swim very well.
B. The Jersey timetable was totally wrong.
C. Actually, the little girl didn’t need a ticket.
D. The little girl was satisfied with the holiday.
3.Harry started talking to the little girl because he _________.
A. did not know what to do
B. wanted to be friendly to her
C. had a little girl about the same age
D. wanted to find a way out from her
4.According to the passage, we know that Harry was _________.
A. careful B. hard-working
C. serious D. smart
5.What would be the end of the story?
A. The woman would ask the police for help.
B. The woman would see the head of the station.
C. The woman would insist on getting back￡12.
D. The woman would stop arguing and leave.
Jack was a big, fine figure of a policeman, and always had a lot of work to do.
One day, he was too busy to have enough lunch and had to keep on working. He walked up and down Market Street, keeping a eye on things and getting hungrier and hungrier. He passed Tony’s store. “Would you like to have a banana, Jack?” greeted Tony. But Jack his head and said, “No, thank you.” He never ate when he was at . Then he went past another shop that was full of cheeses, cold meats, potato chips, and so on. And when the shopkeeper offered him a pack of sausage, he again. So it went, all day long. The man went past the sweet store, the bakery, the peanut man and the toffee-apple man, saying, “No, thank you, not on duty.” He got much . At last, his day ended, and he immediately ran back home. He went the stairs and into the kitchen.
“You must be hungry, man!” cried his wife, who had prepared well for the dinner, “ Sit at the and eat!” Jack sat down immediately and began to enjoy the meal. It seemed that it was the most delicious and biggest meal he had ever had. He said, “Thank you, my dear.” “It’s always a pleasure to for you,” his wife replied.
1.A. lazyB. lovelyC. patientD. sharp
2.A. shoeB. fruitC. toyD. clothes
3.A. shookB. noddedC. relaxedD. hit
4.A. breakB. streetC. schoolD. work
5.A. acceptedB. receivedC. refusedD. admitted
6.A. poor B. luckyC. smartD. worried
7.A. hungrierB. happierC. ruderD. sadder
8.A. pastB. inC. onD. up
9.A. windowB. chairC. tableD. floor
10.A. waitB. cookC. washD. smile
How many things can you see in the night sky? A lot! a clear evening you might see the Moon and some planets. And thousands of sparkling stars , too.
You can see even with a telescope. You might see stars where you only saw dark space before. You might see that many stars look larger than others. You might see that some stars look white are really red or blue.
But scientists believe there are some things in the sky that we . We can’t see them with the biggest telescope in the world, even when it is the clearest night of the year. That’s they’re invisible. They’re the mysterious dead stars called black holes. You might find hard to imagine that stars die. After all, our Sun is a star. Year after year we see it up in the sky, burning brightly, giving us heat and light. The Sun certainly doesn’t seem getting old or weak. But stars do burn out and die after billions of years. As a star’s gases burn, they give off light and heat. But when the gas runs , the star stops burning and begins to die.
So the next time you stare up at the night sky, remember: there’s more in the sky than that meets the eye. amazing space it is!
1.A. OnB. InC. AtD. For
2.A. seeB. were seeC. can be seenD. will be seen
3.A. muchB. manyC. mostD. more
4.A. whatB. whichC. whoD. where
5.A. never seeB. never sawC. will never seeD. had never seen
6.A. whenB. howC. becauseD. so
7.A. itB. youC. yourselfD. itself
8.A. to beB. beingC. beenD. is
9.A. aroundB. offC. awayD. out
10.A. HowB. WhatC. What anD. How an
–What do you think of the film Rio?
–Wonderful. ________ could be better!
A. EverythingB. Something
C. AnythingD. Nothing
Look at the poster! It says that there ________ a concert in our school next Saturday.
A. is B. will have
C. will beD. is going to have
