A small ,white envelope stuck among the branches of our Christmas tree and it has been there for the past ten years or so.
It all began because my husband Justin hated Christmas—oh, not the true meaning of Christmas.Overspending was one thing, but compared to the difficult experience of choosing gifts—running around at the last minute to get a tie for Uncle Harry and a pair of gloves for Grandma…,spending money is nothing. I felt too tired to think of any special gifts.
Knowing Justin felt the same way, I decided one year not to buy the usual shirts, sweaters, ties and so on. I reached for something special just for Justin. The inspiration came in an unusual way.
Our son Kevin, who was 12 that year, was wrestling （摔跤）at the junior level at the school he attended; and shortly before Christmas, there was a match against a team sponsored (赞助) by an inner-city church.These youngsters, dressed in such worn-out shoes that shoe strings seemed to be the only thing holding them together, while our boys were in their blue and gold uniforms and new wrestling shoes.
As the match began, I was shocked to see that the other team were wrestling without wearing helmets (头盔) to protect their ears. Well, our boys ended up defeating them. We took every weight class.
Justin, seated beside me, shook his head sadly, “I wish just one of them could have won,” he said. “They have a lot potential (潜力) , but losing like this could take the heart out of them.” Justin loved kids—all kids, and he knew them, having coached little league football and baseball. That’s when the idea for his present came. That afternoon, I went to a local sporting goods store and bought different kinds of wrestling helmets and shoes. I sent them to inner-city church without leaving my name.
On Christmas Eve, I placed the envelope on the tree, the note inside telling Justin what I had done and that was his gift from me. His smile was the brightest thing about Christmas that year and since then the envelope has become the highlight of our Christmas.
1.Justin hated Christmas because _____.
A. he didn’t enjoy receiving gifts
B. he had a hard time choosing gifts
C. he spent too much money buying gifts
D. he disliked putting gifts under the Christmas tree
2.We know from the passage that the team sponsored by inner-city church_____.
A. were well dressed B. paid no attention to safety
C. feared Kevin’s team D. couldn’t afford a helmet
3.How did Justin feel about the team’s failure ?
A. Upset B. Angry C. Hopeless D. Shameful
4.Why did the writer send gifts to the inner-city church without leaving her name ?
A. To avoid being thanked B. To play a joke on Justin
C. To give Justin a surprise D. To protect her private information
5.Which of the following can be the best title for the passage?
A. The Church Gift B. A Special Note
C. The White Envelope D. A Christmas Card
In April this year, lots of bags full of small change(零钱) were seen at bus stops in Tianjin. They were made for passengers to turn their notes into small change. And such an idea came from four students from Zhongbei Middle School, Tianjin.
“People will surely feel worried when they take a bus without coins. We just want to do something to help them,” said Wang Yongcun, 15, one of the four students.
The four boys spent their whole weekend making the change bags. After that they went to see the number of the passengers at each bus stop near their school, and then chose the top six stops to put the bags.
Many people think that the four boys have really done a good job. But, things didn’t go as the boys thought. Two days later, they found that the money was gone, and that even the bags were taken. It really made them sad but they would not give up. Their classmates and teachers came to help them in time. They put their pocket money in bags again. And the teachers also taught them to make better change bags. They tried their best to do it.
The four boys feel very happy because they have done something good for the passengers. Their warm hearts are moving. More and more people are beginning to join in the activity.
1.The change bags were put _____.
A. on the buses B. at the bus stops
C. under the desks D. near the parks
2.It took _____ the whole weekend to make the change bags.
A. the parents B. the teachers
C. the passengers D. the four boys
3.Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
A. The idea of small change bags came from four boys.
B. The passengers refused to put money in the bags.
C. The teachers gave up when the bags were taken.
D. The small change didn’t help the passengers much.
Some parents agree that smartphones are bad for students'health and study. They hope their children can keep away from smartphones.
Tang Lin,14, from Changsha，supports parents'opinions．He uses a dumbphone（非智能手机）and finds that its functions（功能） are enough for him. Tang once said many students spent much time on games and QQ with their smartphones. He also said，"If students use smartphones，they may use them to listen to music, surf the Internet or do some other things. In this way, they may not work hard at their studies．As students，we don't need to use smartphones．"
But Chen Yu,16, from Zhuzhou,doesn't think so．She thinks that she can't live without smart phones．She said, "Smartphones are useful, I often use my phone to surf the Internet, chat with my friends and get the latest news. It opens up my eyes. "
Smartphones have advantages and disadvantages. The key to the problem is how to use smartphones．In fact，it is a test of students' self-control．Zhang Yan, 13, from Hengyang，understands the pint well, She said, "I put my phone out of my sight when I am studying. I also set a time limit about 20minuets when I use it．I follow these rules so the smartphone doesn't affect my life badly. "
1.What does Tang Lin think of smartphones？
A. Dumbphones don't have enough functions．
B. Smartphones are too expensive for students．
C. Students don't need to use smartphones．
2.The underline self-control"probably means"______"in Chinese．
A. 自信 B. 自我控制 C. 自立
3.What doesn't Chen Yu often use her phone to do？
A. To chat with friends． B. To get the latest news C. To play games．
书面表达。（2017盐城）
学校将举办英语写作比赛，请根据所给提示，以“My life in 20 years”为题，写一篇短文，分享你对未来的憧憬。
注意事项：
1．词数: 100词左右(文章开头已给出，不计入总词数)；
2．文中不能出现真实姓名、校名等信息；
3．文章必须包含所提供的主要信息，并作适当发挥。
My life in 20 years
I’m always working hard for a bright future I imagine
Chinatown is the name given to an area in the middle of London. It is just between Leicester Square and Shaftsbury Avenue. Gerrard Street is at the center and is the most important street in the area. There is a large Chinese community(社区) with a lot of Chinese restaurants, Chinese supermarkets and shops in this street.
In the 1950s, it was a poor area and everything was very cheap. At the same time, the world rice market changed and thousand of farm workers in Hong Kong lost their jobs. They began arriving in London to look for work. They found jobs in the restaurants in this area. Many British people like Chinese food, and the restaurants were popular.
These restaurant workers often worked 17 hours a day and had no time to learn English. As more Chinese arrived, more shops and businesses grew up. Wives came and joined their husbands and children came and joined their fathers. The community grew, and Chinatown was born.
In the 1970s and 1980s, British-born Chinese started to have a better education and this brought economic(经济的) success to the area. Many families moved out of Chinatown, and there was more space for businesses. Gerrard Street become a street only for visitors and was soon a popular place for tourists.
Now everyone knows about London’s Chinatown. During the Chinese New Year, the streets are seen with flags and thousands of Chinese go into the streets. For most of the year, though, Londoners and tourists go there mainly for the food in the Chinese restaurants. They best restaurants are the ones where the Chinese eat.
1.Is this Chinatown in the middle of London?
2.Ws the area rich or poor in the 1950s?
3.Why did the restaurant workers have not time to learn English?
4.When did British-born Chinese start to have a better education?
5.What are the main points about Chinatown in this passage?
根据对话内容, 在每个空缺处填入一个适当的词,使整段对话意思完整，并将该空缺处的词填写在答题卡相应的位置上。（每空限填一词）(2017贵阳)
A: Dad, how much do you know about China?
B: Just a little. China is a big country that has about 5,000 years of 1.. It attracts
many tourists from all over the world every year.
A: Is that so? 2. there any beautiful mountains?
B: Yes. And many of them are famous, such 3. Mount Tai, Mount Huang and Mount Emei.
A: What about 4.?
B: There are many rivers in China. Among them the Yangtze River is the longest one and the
second longest one is the Yellow River. They’re the birthplaces of Chinese culture.
A: Anything 5.?
B: Sorry. That’s alll known. If you want to learn more, you can read Guide to China. It’s a book which introduces China in detail.
A: Thanks. I’ll read it.
