Once upon a time there lived a poor farmer called Smith. He didn't like to share things with others. Smith had a friend who was famous for the wonderful apples he grew.
One day, his friend gave Smith a young apple tree and told him to take it home and planted.
The farmer was pleased with the gift, but when he got home, he did not know where to plant He thought and thought. Finally at night he planted the tree in his wood where no one could see it. But without sunlight and good soil, the tree soon died.
Later the friend asked the farmer why he had planted the tree in such a poor place.
"What's the difference?" the farmer said angrily. "If I had planted it near the road, strangers would have stolen the fruit. If I had planted it in one of my fields, my neighbors would have come at night and stolen some of the apples. If I had planted it near my house, my own children would have taken the fruit,"
"Yes," said the friend, "but at least someone could have enjoyed the fruit. Now you not only have got nothing, but also you have destroyed a good apple tree."
1.Was Smith happy about the gift? ______________________________
2.When did he plant the apple tree? ______________________________
3.Where did Smith plant the apple tree in the end? __________________
4.Why did the apple tree soon die? _____________________________
5.What would probably happen if the farmer had planted the tree near his house? ______________
It's important to develop the healthy habits in your daily life. The following will help you become healthier and keep perfect shape.
Eat properly. A healthy diet is very important for everybody. Breakfast is the most important meal in a day. Doctors suggest that students’ breakfast should include fruit, eggs, milk, rice or noodles, because these can offer them necessary energy, help them listen carefully in class and keep them healthy. Eat enough for lunch and little for supper. But remember that too much sugar is bad for your teeth and blood. You shouldn't have too many sweet snacks and desserts in your diet, even though such food tastes delicious.
Keep off germs(病菌). Daily tooth cleaning reduces the amount of germs which will spread diseases. Germs in the mouth arc likely to enter the blood and cause illness, even heart disease. Even if you’re not sick, always remember to cough or into your arms instead of your hands because hands can spread germs to others when you touch something else. Besides, washing hands is necessary after going to the toilet or before having a meal. And you'd better rub both hands while washing them.
Exercise regularly. Regular exercise can improve your moods and balance. What’s more, it’s good for bones. There are many forms of exercise: walking or running for about 30 minutes a day playing ball games twice or three times a week, swimming or dancing often. You can choose your favorite to practise regularly. You will not only feel energetic but also think better after doing exercise.
Stay connected. Having regular communication with friends is the key to reducing stress. And sharing happiness and sadness, exchanging information with others can also help improve memory. Having a friend or a circle of friends can help you feel good.
The 1.________ to keep fit | |
Eating properly | You should have proper breakfast because it can 2._______ you with necessary energy. You should have enough for lunch and little for 3.________. Sweet snacks and desserts arc tasty, 4._______ you shouldn't eat too much. |
Keeping off germs | It's necessary for you to 5._______ your teeth every day, cough or sneeze into your arms’ and wash your hands often to stop germs from6.________. |
7.______ regularly | You will feel 8._______ and think better after doing exercise, so you can choose your favourite sports to do. |
Staying connected | It can help you feel 9.________ stressed when you communicate with your friends and it is also useful in 10._______ memory. |
How quickly can you count from one to ten? Do you use ten different words to do it? Can you do it in English, or do you have to use your first languages? Do you count on your fingers? Many people think that numbers and math are the same all over the world. But scientists have discovered that it is not true.
People in different parts of the world use different ways to count on their fingers. In the United States, people think begin counting with their first fingers, which they extend or stick out. They then extend the rest of their fingers and finally the thumb(拇指）to count to five. Then they repeat this with the other hand to get to ten. In China, people count by using different finger positions. In this way, a Chinese person can easily count to ten on only one hand.
Besides ways of finger counting, scientists have found that cultures and languages are also different when it comes to numbers. Some languages have only a few words for numbers, and others have no words for numbers. A group of scientists studied aboriginal(土著的）people in Australia. These people don’t have hand movements to stand for numbers. They don’t even have word for numbers. However, they are still able to understand different ideas about numbers.
In a similar study, researchers from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology discovered that people of the Piraha tribe (部落） in northwestern Brazil don’t have words for numbers such as “one” or “three.”. They are not able to say “five trees” or “ten trees” but can say “some trees,” “more trees,” or “many trees.” Professor Edward Gibson said that mist people believe that everyone knows how to count, “but here is a group that does not count. They could learn, but isn’t not useful in their culture, so they’ve never picked it up.”
Although all humans are able to understand quantities(数量）,not all languages have numbers and not all people use counting. Number words in a certain language are a result of people needing numbers in their daily lives. Now we know that people have different ideas about numbers and math, too.
1.The writer begins with the four questions in order to______.
A. make a survey B. interest readers
C. tell a story D. solve math problems
2.What do we learn from the difference in finger counting between the U.S. and China?
A. People from China count much faster than people from the U.S.
B. People from China need two hands to count from one to ten.
C. People of different cultures may use different ways of finger counting
D. People of different cultures use the same way of finger counting.
3.Which of following is true about aboriginal Australians?
A. They have only a few words for numbers
B. They have hand movements to stand for numbers
C. They can only count to five on their fingers
D. They can understand different ideas about numbers
4.The study of the Piraha tribe shows that____
A. people all over the world know how to count
B. People of the tribe have words for number
C. Some groups of people are not smart enough to count
D, Counting is not useful in the culture of the tribe
5. What is the main idea of the passage?
A. people from different cultures have different ideas about numbers and math
B. Chinese people can count more easily on their fingers than Americans
C. In some aboriginal culture,p eople don’t even know how to count
D. Some languages don’t have number words because people don’t need numbers.
To us, it seems so natural to put up an umbrella to keep the water off when it rains. But in fact the umbrella was not invented as protection against the rain. Its first use was as a shade(遮蔽)against the sun.
Nobody knows who first invented it, but the umbrella was used in very ancient times. Probably the first to use it were the Chinese, back in the eleventh century BC.
We know that the umbrella was used in ancient Egypt and Babylon as a sunshade. And there was a strange thing connected with its use : it became a symbol of honor and power(权力). In the Far East in ancient times, the umbrella was allowed to be used only by those in high office or by royal people such as the kings or queens.
In Europe, the Greeks were the first to use the umbrella as a sunshade. The umbrella was in common use in ancient Greece, but it is believed that the first people in Europe to use the umbrella as protection against the rain were the ancient Romans. During the middle ages in Europe, the use of the umbrella almost disappeared. Then it appeared again in Italy in the late sixteenth century. And again it became a symbol of power.
Umbrellas have not changed much in style during all this time, though they have become much lighter in weight. It wasn't until the twentieth century that the umbrellas for women began to be made in all kinds of colors.
1.According to this passage, the umbrella was probably first invented in ancient_______.
A．China B．Egypt C．Greece D．Rome
2.Which of the following statements is not true about the umbrella?
A．No one exactly knows who the inventor of the umbrella was
B．The umbrella was first invented to be used as protection against the sun.
C．The umbrella changed much in style in the eighteenth century
D．In Europe, the Greeks were the first to use the umbrella as a sunshade.
3.A strange feature of the umbrella’s use is that it was used as__________.
A．protection against rain
B．a symbol of honor and power
C．a shade against the sun
D．women’s decoration
4.In Europe, the umbrella was first used against the rain_______________.
A．during the Middle Ages B．in Rome
C．by the 18th D．in Greece
5.This passage talks mainly about_______________.
A．when and how the umbrella was invented
B．why the umbrella was so popular in Europe
C．the development of the umbrella
D．The history and use of the umbrella
There was a boy and his family was very rich. One day his father took him on a trip to a place. He wanted to show his son how poor people were there. They spent several days on a farm. There were many poor families living on the farm.
On their way home, the father asked the son, “How was the trip?” “It was great, Dad,” the son answered. “Did you notice how poor people were there?” asked his father. “Oh, yes,” said the son. “So, tell me,” said his father. The son said, “Well, we have one dog and they have four. We have a pool in our garden, while they have a river that has no end. We have expensive lanterns (灯), but they have stars above their heads at night. We have only a small piece of land to live on, while they have the endless fields. We buy our food, but they grow theirs. We have high walls around our houses to protect us, but they don’t need walls, because their friends will protect them.”
The father had nothing to say. Then the boy added, “Thank you, Dad, for letting me see how poor we are.”
1. The father wanted to show his son ________.
A. how people on the farm worked
B. how poor people were on the farm
C. how beautiful the farm was
D. how far it was from the city to the farm
2.How often did they go to the farm?
A. Once a week. B. Twice a month.
C. Every year. D. The writer doesn’t tell us.
3.When the father asked the son how the trip was, the son thought it ________.
A. great B. tiring C. terrible D. boring
4.According to the boy, people on the farm can see ________ at night.
A. expensive lanterns B. a lot of cars
C. stars above their heads D. many horses
5. Which of the following is TRUE, according to the passage?
A. The boy was from a very poor family.
B. The father and the son spent several weeks on a farm.
C. People on the farm have high walls around their houses.
D. The boy thought that people on the farm lived a happy life.
Friends play an important role in our life. Most people hope that their friends will always be there. They friendship to last forever. , even the best friendship can end.
As time goes by, many friendships end because of a(n) _ in personality or way of life. The friendship slowly loses importance and finally_ _.
Tommy wrote, “I didn’t even know the friendship was over until I caught myself thinking of Alan as a former friend.”
Peter explained. “We _ seeing each other less and less. The friendship was just over.”
Sometimes friendships_ _ suddenly from a disagreement or move to another place.
Alice said, “The end of our friendship was a gradual thing. I moved from one side of the city to the other. Since then we _ made a phone call. We met less and less. At last our friendship ended.”
Jack said, “ When I moved to Seattle after college, our friendship died. Both of us were always_ with new jobs, so we didn’t keep _ touch with each other. Our friendship was so dead that I didn’t call him _ _ I went home.”
Yet the biggest problem to a friendship is change. Lillian Rubin in her book Just Friends say, “Generally it’s _ _ that friends will accept each other if they both remain what they were when they met, or change in similar directions. If they change or grow in different ways, the friendship most likely lost.”
No matter why, when, or how friendships end, there is always _ _ pain of loss. When nothing can be _ to keep the friendship, it is important to forget the pain. Then move on _ _ new friendships.
May new friendships bring you pleasure and happiness!
1.A. hope B. expect C. decide D. prefer
2.A. Unfortunately B. Luckily C. Then D. So
3.A. interest B. experience C. change D. Suggestion
4.A. forgets B. disappears C. appears D. improves
5.A. finished B. practiced C. continued D. started
6.A. break down B. break away C. break off D. break in
7.A. often B. seldom C. always D. never
8.A. struggling B. satisfying C. pleased D. fed
9.A. at B. by C. on D. in
10.A. even if B. while C. before D. since
11.A. strange B. true C. false D. impossible
12.A. will be B. is C. will D. to be
13.A. little B. some C. any D. no
14.A. thought B. checked C. carried D. done
15.A. to ask for B. forming C. to build D. beginning
