“Did you go skating a lot last year?” I asked. Jen shook her head and looked at me. Finally she said, “On Thanksgiving, Mom and I always went to visit some friends who lived on a farm. I especially loved seeing their big turkeys.”
Until then, I didn’t think about how Jen felt. She had a new stepfather (继父) and stepbrother, and had a new town and home, too. Jen and her mom used to live near a lake where Dad and I went every summer, and she had to move up north with us. She had more changes than me.
Jen seemed sad, so I was busy thinking of some ways to cheer her up on Thanksgiving. I told her my plan and she was excited. First we made a huge snowball, and then a small snowball. Then we built a wall behind the big snowball as a tail. Jen mixed some food coloring with water, saying, “We can spray (喷) colors on the tail.” Our snow turkey had a red, blue, green, and yellow tail. We were so busy that we didn’t notice our parents come outside. Dad found a hat for the snow turkey, and Mom wrapped her scarf around its neck.
“Thanks for cheering Jen up,” Mom said. “You’re a good brother, and you always come up with great ideas.’’ A happy feeling spread through me. I began to understand how much she cared about everyone in our new family.
1.What did Jen do on Thanksgiving in the past?
A. She went skating with her friends.
B. She went to the farm with her mother.
C. She stayed at home with her mother.
D. She made snow turkeys with her mother.
2.What can we learn from the second paragraph?
A. Jen lived near a lake in the past.
B. The writer was Jen’s stepfather.
C. Jen moved up north for studying.
D. The writer just moved out of his old house.
3. How many people are there in Jen’s new family?
A. Two. B. Three. C. Four. D. Five.
4.Which of the following is the right order?
①made a small snowball
②found a hat
③made a huge snowball
④sprayed colors on the tail
⑤wrapped a scarf around the neck
⑥built a wall behind the big snowball
A. ①③⑥④②⑤ B. ①②③④⑤⑥
C. ③①⑥④②⑤ D. ③①⑥②④⑤
5.What can we infer (推断) from the underlined sentence?
A. Jen’s stepmother was not friendly to the writer.
B. Jen didn’t feel happy after moving here.
C. Jen’s mother did a lot to make Jen happy.
D. The writer felt happy because his stepmother liked him.
Are you learning English and do you need help with grammar? Do you want to learn new vocabulary or slang (俚语)? Well, you can find help online with these top 5 free English as a Second Language websites.
Dave’s ESL Café
This is a complete website that can help you learn and practice English. You can read many stories and do a lot of exercises to test your self. You c an also post questions and answers onto the help center.
About.com
You can get free English courses from About.com and you’ll get regular e-mails that will help you learn English.
The Classroom by Voice of America
You can watch videos and listen to news stories to improve your listening and vocabulary skills. You can also hear English words and their meanings.
Heinle’s Newbury House Dictionary of American English
Do you need to find the definition of a word? Use this online dictionary to find simple and clear definitions, as well as example sentences and idioms (习语). You can also find different cultural facts.
Perso nal English Portal (门户网站) on YouTube
You can watch this series of videos on YouTube to develop your listening skills. You can also do a search for “learn English” on YouTube to find other videos. This is a good way to practice English and have fun.
1.If you want to do English exercises and test yourself, you can go to .
A. About.com B. YouTube
C. Dave’s ESL Cafe D. the Classroom by Voice of America
2.You can at the help center on the website Dave’s ESL Cafe.
A. watch videos and pictures
B. listen to news and music
C. watch movies and matches
D. read questions and answers
3.About.com often sends e-mails to its visitors to help them .
A. get relaxed B. have fun
C. become famous D. learn English
4.The underlined word “definition” means “ ” in Chinese.
A. 来源 B. 释义
C. 意图 D. 背景
5.From Heinle’s Newbury House Dictionary of American English, you can find .
A. cultural information B. online libraries
C. interesting news D. many storybooks
People all over the world celebrate the new year. However, not all countries celebrate in the same way, and in some countries, the new year doesn’t begin on the day every year.
In many countries, the New Year begins on 1st January, but people start celebrating on 31st December, New Year’s Eve. In New York many people go to celebrate in Times Square. they’re waiting for the New Year, they listen to music, sing traditional songs and have fun. Just before 12 o’clock, everyone down from 10: 10, 9, 8… As soon as it’s 12 o’clock, everyone shouts very , “Happy New Year!”
New Year’s Day is often a family day. Some families get together for a special meal. When the weather is fine, many families go out for a .
On New Year’s Day, many people make resolutions for the new year. They a list of things, such as “I will help out more with housework. I will work at school than others.” or “I won’t spend so much time playing video games.” When they have made 8 list, they read it to their family or friends and promise to their resolutions.
So it doesn’t matter how they celebrate, people in countries all over the world, it’s a time to say goodbye to the old year, and to welcome the new.
1.A.familiar B.same C.important D.normal
2.A.If B.Even though C.While D.Before
3.A.comes B.turns C.looks D.counts
4.A.loudly B.quietly C.sadly D.safely
5.A.walk B.secret C.job D.treatment
6.A.put on B.write down C.take away D.look after
7.A.quickly B.hard C.harder D.hardly
8.A.its B.his C.her D.their
9.A.follow B.make C.do D.give
10.A.by B.for C.with D.from
For the first time, pay attention _________quickly to get the main ideas.
A. read B. reading
C. to read D. to reading
The more careful you are, ________mistakes you’ll make.
A. fewer B. less
C. the fewer D. the less
I have finished _________my report. May I start to learn ________the guitar?
A. writing, playing B. writing, to play
C. to write, playing D. to write, to play