On my eighth birthday, Dad bought me an accordion(手风琴） and said excitedly, "Once you learn to play, it'll stay with you for life." But I didn't want to play it. I just wanted to play games, But Dad asked me to take accordion lessons.
One day, I found a box in a corner. When I opened it, I saw a beautiful violin. "It was your father's," Mum said. "His parents bought it for him. I guess he got too busy on the farm to learn to play it."
I had to practice half an hour every day, and every day I tried to get out of it. But Dad didn't allow. I asked why. He answered, "Because you can bring people joy. You can touch their hearts." He added softly, "Someday you'll have the chance I never had: you'll play beautiful music for your family. And you'll understand why you've worked so hard." I was speechless.
The lessons stopped after I finished high school. When I grew up, I got married and moved into a new house. I put the accordion in the attic（阁楼）.
One afternoon, my two children found the accordion by accident (偶然). They got very excited. "Play it. Play it," they laughed and said. I started to play some simple songs. I was surprised I could still remember them. Soon the kids were dancing. Even my wife was laughing and clapping to the beat.
At that moment, my father's words came back to me, "Someday you'll have the chance I never had. And you'll understand." I finally knew why Dad had asked me to practice hard. Dad never learnt to play his violin. But I told my family, "This is my father's music."
1.My father didn't learn to play his violin when he was young because _____.
A. he didn't like to play the violin
B. he didn't keep on practicing
C. he wanted to play games
D. he had to make money for his family
2. How might the writer feel when he had to practice playing the accordion?
A. Bored B. Excited.
C. Delighted D. Relaxed.
3."Dad didn't allow" means "_______".
A. Dad didn’t keep me doing it.
B. Dad didn't agree with me.
C. Dad didn't help me do it.
D. Dad didn't see me do it.
4. Dad asked me to learn to play the accordion so that _______.
A. I could go to a better school
B. I could give myself much joy
C.I could make people happy
D. I could be a useful
When the traffic lights turn red, we will stop driving a car or crossing a street. Why is red used for traffic lights instead of other colors?
As we know, scattering (散射) happens when light goes through the air. For the same media (媒质), if the wavelength is long, the sscattering will be short. If the wavelength is short, then the scattering will be long.
Of all lights we can see, red has the longest wavelength. So the scattering is the weakest. That means the red light travels far. In fact, it travels farther on rainy days.
Using the red light can help drivers in farther places see the lights. It helps drivers slow down or stop in time. So there will be fewer accidents. Moreover, red can also excite people. We can act more quickly when we see the color red. In a word, red lights help drivers stop in time and help prevent accidents.
1.According to the passage, the scattering of the red light is the _______.
A. longest B. weakest C. farthest D. brightest
2.The underlined word “wavelength” means________ in Chinese.
A. 光波 B. 波浪 C. 波长 D.光波
3.What can the red light help drivers do?
A. It can make drivers stop in time.
B. It can help drivers act more slowly.
C. It can help drivers see the lights in farther areas .
D. A and C
4.Which of the following is the best title?
A. Why do accidents happen
B. How does the red light travel
C. Why do we use red traffic lights
D. The colors of the traffic lights
Do you help with chores at home? These are what some people say about it.
Manuel, 19: “I only like to do the laundry. My mom does the other chores. When she isn’t at home, I can cook an easy dinner myself, but please don’t ask me whether I’m a good cook or not. ”
Vivian, 38: “I do everything because I live by myself now. I think I can do everything because I watched and helped my mom cook our family meals all the time when I was young. At first I was told to help my mom, but later I began to like cooking. Now I can cook many kinds of dishes. ”
Arthur, 67: “I do many things around the house because everyday is like Sunday for me now. I have to do something to keep busy. I help with gardening and cleaning the most. I enjoy doing these things. Cooking and laundry are my wife’s chores. ”
1.Who did Vivian learn cooking from?
A. Arthur. B. Her friend.
C. Her mom. D. Her teacher.
2.Why does Vivian have to do all the chores?
A. She loves doing chores.
B. Her parents force (强迫) her to do all the chores
C. Her mother asks her to do all the chores.
D. She lives by herself.
3. What can we learn from the passage?
A. Manuel is good at cooking.
B. Maybe Arthur has already retired(退休）.
C. Vivian has to cook for the family every day.
D. The writer likes doing chores at home.
Life is not easy, but I’d like to say “when anything happens, believe in yourself.”
When I was young, I was1. nervous that I couldn’t talk to anyone. My classmates often laughed at me. I was sad but could do nothing. Later, something 2. . I changed my life. It was an English speech contest. My mom asked me to take part in it. It meant I had to speak in front of all the teachers and students in my school.
“Come on, dear. Believe in3. . You are sure to 4. .” Then mom and I talked about many different topics(主题). At last I 5. the topic. I tried my best to remember the whole speech and practiced it over 100 times. 6.___ my mom’s great love, I did well in the contest. I could 7. believe my ears when the news came that I had won the first prize. I heard the cheer from the teachers and students. They all said” Congratulations!” to me. My mom hugged me and cried 8. .
Since then, everything has changed for me. And I realize we should be confident9. we do anything. This is very 10. not only for a person but also for a country.
Do you often think of your parents? You may say, “Of course, I____.I buy a gift for my mother on Mother’s Day and on Father’s Day I give my father a ____ , too.” But what about the other days of the ____ ?
I have a friend whose parents live in ____ city. One day 1 went to____ her. We had a nice conversation. Then she wanted to____. So she dialed(拨号) the number, but then she put down the_____. After about fifteen seconds, she dialed the number again “Hi, Mom…”
Later I asked, “____ did you dial the number twice?” She smiled, “My parents are old and ____. They____ get close to the telephone quickly. I always do such a thing ____ I call them. I just want to give them____ time to answer the call.”
My friend is a good girl. She is ____thinking about her parents. You also want to be a ____ child, right? Please always remember to ____your parents in every situation, not just on some important days.
1.A.do B. will C. won’t D. don’t
2.A.cake B. kiss C. love D. gift
3.A.time B. year C. month D. week
4.A.other B. another C. the other D. others
5.A.win B. meet C. call D. visit
6.A.have a rest B. make a call C. pay a visit D. go for a walk
7.A.phone B. gift C. hand D. number
8.A.Why B. What C. How D. When
9.A.fast B. careless C. healthy D. slow
10.A.can’t B. mustn’t C. needn’t D. wouldn’t
11.A.that B. because C. if D. When
12.A.enough B. quick C. no D. little
13.A.never B. always C. seldom D. sometimes
14.A.bad B. clever C. sick D. good
15.A.look after B. call up C. think of D. listen to
----Mary won the first prize in the competition.
----_________. She said she made several terrible mistakes.
A.I think so. B. You’re welcome.
C. You must be kidding! D. It doesn’t matter.
