A horse fair is an interesting place. There were young horses from the country, little Welsh ponies and many beautiful horses too. But there were also a lot of poor, thin horses, tired from hard work. I was very sad to see them.
At the horse fair there was a man with a gentle voice and kind grey eyes. He offered 23 pounds for me, but they refused. Then a man with a very loud voice came. I was afraid he was going to buy me, but he walked off. Then the grey-eyed man came back again and said:
“I’ll give 24 for him.”
“Done,” said the salesman. “He’s a quality horse and if you want him for cab（出租马车）work, he’s a bargain.”
Half an hour later we set off for London, along country roads, until we came to that great city. There were streets to the right, and streets to the left. We went into one of the small streets, and then into a very narrow street, with small, old houses.
My owner stopped at a house. The door opened, and a woman, a little girl and boy, came out.
“Is he gentle, father?”
“Yes, Dolly, as gentle as a kitten; you can pat him.”
Dolly, the little girl, patted my shoulder without fear. It felt so good! They led me into a comfortable, clean stable, and after a delicious meal I lay down to sleep, thinking “I’m going to very happy here”.
My new owner’s name was Jerry. His wife was called Polly and they had two children, Harry and Dolly. The next morning they came to see me. I loved it when they patted me and spoke in gentle voices.
“Let’s call him ‘Jack’, after the old horse, shall we, Harry?” said Dolly.
“Yes, let’s,” said Harry.
The first week of my life as Jack, the London cab horse was very hard. The noise and the people and the traffic on the streets scared me. But Jerry was a very good driver, and that helped a lot Jerry soon found that I was ready to work hard and do my best, and he didn’t whip（鞭打）me.
He kept us very clean, and gave us as much food as we wanted. But the best thing was that we had Sundays off.
1.A horse fair is a place for__________.
A.people to sell and buy horses B.horses to learn new skills
C.people to learn to ride horses D.horses to meet new friends
2.What did the salesman mean by saying “he is a bargain”?
A.The buyer is a good driver. B.The horse is well worth the price.
C.The buyer is gentle and kind. D.The horse is as gentle as a kitten.
3.Living and working in London with Jerry’s family, “I” felt___________.
A.sad and helpless B.challenged but satisfied
C.tired and afraid D.curious but impatient
4.What can be a suitable title for the passage?
A.The experiences of visiting a horse fair.
B.The chance of having a new owner.
C.The disadvantages of working in London.
D.The start of a London-cab-horse life.
We always think that it’s OK for us to leave our plants home during our vacation as plants won’t scream like pets, right?
A recent study done by a group of scientists at the Tel Aviv University has discovered that some plants will scream when they are under stress.
The research was carried out on tomato plants and tobacco plants by cutting their stems（茎） and depriving（剥夺） them of water. A microphone was placed 10cm away from them. When their stems were cut, the plants started “screaming” between 20 and 100 kilohertz, and the scientists guess that this scream is probably meant to warn other plants nearby.
When the tomato plants’ stems were cut, 25 ultrasonic（超声的） pain sounds were recorded in an hour, and at the same time, 15 ultrasonic pain sounds were recorded from the tobacco plants. When they were deprived of water, the tomato plants recorded even more pain sounds with 35 pain sounds in an hour while the tobacco plants recorded about 11 pain sounds.
The plants also acted differently to different kinds of stresses. For example, the tobacco plants gave out a stronger “scream” when they were deprived of water than when their stems were cut. But plants that were in no immediate（立刻的）danger gave out less than one ultrasonic sound per hour.
The group of scientists said that plants are not as quiet as we had always thought, but in fact their voices are so high-pitched that we just can’t hear them.
Last year, another study has found out that plants feel pain when they are touched or hurt and they will give off a terrible smell.
1.What have the group of scientists at the Tel Aviv University discovered?
A.Some plants under stress will scream.
B.Plants in danger scream to warn others.
C.Some plants under stress feel energetic.
D.Plants in danger give off a sweet smell.
2.What was the microphone underlined in paragraph 3 used for?
A.Cutting the stems of plants. B.Depriving plants of water.
C.Collecting ultrasonic sounds. D.Testing different stresses.
3.How many ultrasonic pain sounds did the tobacco plants give out in an hour when deprived of water？
A.11. B.15. C.25. D.35.
4.What can we learn from the passage?
A.Tomato plants acted the same under different stresses.
B.Tobacco plants gave off a smell when they were safe.
C.Plants not in immediate danger screamed most weakly.
D.Plants that felt pain screamed loudly for people to hear.
Are you good with money? Do you get pocket money from your parents or do you work to make money? Read on to find out about British teenagers and their money!
Pocket money
Most teenagers in Britain receive pocket money from their parents. They might have to do some housework to get pocket money, including cleaning, cooking, washing dishes and so on.
Part-time work
A part-time job is a choice for teenagers who don’t have pocket money or who want to get extra money. About 15% teenagers have a job. Only children over the age of 13 can work. Popular part-time jobs for teens include babysitting, delivering（递送）newspapers, restaurant work and shop work. Children in Britain can work two hours a day at the most on a school day but not during school hours. During weekends and school holidays, they can work longer hours.
Bank accounts（账户）
Some children and teenagers have a bank account. There is no age limit at which you can open a bank account, but a bank manager can decide whether to open an account for a child or a young person. Parents can put pocket money directly into their child’s bank account. Most banks have a prepaid bank card designed for young people.
Mobile apps
Many companies have made mobile apps for children, including GoHenry, Osper and Gimi. Parents can add money to their children’s accounts and check to see how the money is spent. Children can choose to save their money or spend it using a card. The apps suggest that kids from 8 to 13 can use the cards.
So, many teenagers are getting experience working part-time, dealing with banks and deciding whether to save or spend their money. These are all steps towards becoming a financially independent （经济独立的） person and making and looking after your own money.
1.How can British teenagers get their pocket money?
A.By doing homework. B.By doing housework.
C.By opening accounts. D.By using mobile apps.
2.To get extra money, British teenagers over 13 can___________.
A.work in shops two hours a day during weekends
B.help to take care of babies during school hours
C.deliver newspapers for three hours on school days
D.work in restaurants every day as long as they wish
3.What does the author think of the bank accounts and mobile apps for children?
A.They may help parents save their children’s money.
B.They may help kids learn to look after their money.
C.They might prevent children getting extra money.
D.They might get kids used to spending extra money.
4.What is the passage mainly about?
A.How to get along well with the bank managers.
B.How to deal with bank accounts and mobile apps.
C.How British teenagers work part-time to make money.
D.How British teenagers make and manage their money.
Royal Engineers Museum
Events
Chinese New Year（16 Jan--24 Feb） Join in as the Museum celebrates the Year of the Rat Get creative by decorating a paper lantern or creating your own rat toys. ￡2 per activity, not included in standard prices. The Soldiers as Artists（5 Feb--23 Jun） Royal Engineers were also taught drawing to help make maps. The paintings and drawings on display show not only the soldiers’ drawing skills but also their talent that went beyond the training they received. Included in standard prices. Historic Headwear Hunt（19 Apr-26 Jul） Discover the unusual hats, caps and helmets worn by royal Engineers! Imagine what has happened to them over the last 300 years! Included in standard prices. Medway in Time（7 Jul--31 Aug） Following a 15-week Medway Adult Education course, the Museum is proud to present artworks about the area’s special history and traditions. Included in standard prices. Plan your Visit Opening time Tuesday-Sunday 10 a.m.-5 p. m. Standard tickets Adult ￡9.20 Senior citizen（老年人） ￡8.20 Child （5-15） ￡4.60 Student ￡7.60 Family（2Ad+ 2Ch） ￡24.80 Serving Royal Engineers Free How to find us Located on Prince Arthur Road. Gillingham. Kent. Within walking distance from Gillingham Station. Contact us Tel: 01634822839 www. re-museum. co. uk/contact
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1.Which activity can Lily join in if she visits Royal Engineers Museum on 19 Aug?
A.Chinese New Year. B.The soldiers as artists.
C.Medway in Time D.Historic headwear Hunt.
2.Mr Brown brought his 5-year-old son to the museum and created a rat toy, how much did they pay at least?
A.￡9.20. B.￡12.80. C.￡13.80. D.￡15.80.
3.What can visitors do when visiting Royal Engineers Museum?
A.Visitors can be taught drawing and map making.
B.Visitors can buy the hats worn by royal engineers.
C.Visitors can explore Medway’s history and traditions.
D.Visitors can call 01634 822839 for some free tickets.
It is hard to imagine how a person is to spend the whole life when only the head and hands are able to move.
Xu Ruiyang, an 18-year-old student from Kunming, has suffered（遭受）from spina muscular atrophy（脊柱肌肉萎缩）_______ she was 2 years old. At that time, the doctor said that most children with spinal muscular atrophy will only live a few years.
The family did not give up, or even just _______ . To help Xu Ruiyang live with dignity（尊严）, her parents _______ her living and learning skills strictly. Opening a book or raising hands, some very easy actions for common people, _______ , are big challenges for Xu. She had to use her head or _______ to work together with hands to finish these actions.
When she started learning to write, she couldn’t even _______ a pen. But she never gave up. Once she lost the pen, she picked it up and _______ writing. Xu finally could write 500 Chinese characters before becoming a primary school student, after _______ thousands of times.
Over the past few years, Xu has overcome（克服）many problems, including the _______ caused by the disease. Her parents worried about her health and ________ her to drop out of school, but Xu’s answer was no. “ ________ I read a book and do my homework, the pain is gone,” said Xu.
When asked by reporters on how to deal with difficulties, Xu calmly said, “Patience. When you can’t change anything, crying is useless, so just be ________ .”
In Xu’s opinion, her sunny and self-confident ________ comes from the love of her parents.
“If we are not able to make her live longer, we can make her life wider,” said Xu’s father. They travelled across China and more than 20 ________ over the world, including Italy, Thailand and Singapore. During these trips, she developed an interest in learning a ________ language. “I think it’s cool to learn about other countries’ culture and express your feelings to others,” said Xu.
Last June, she finished China’s Gaokao and received an offer from Sichuan International Study University.
1.A.since B.before C.after D.until
2.A.discuss B.depend C.complain D.change
3.A.managed B.trained C.praised D.expected
4.A.moreover B.perhaps C.especial D.however
5.A.legs B.feet C.mouth D.knees
6.A.hold B.drop C.pass D.find
7.A.stopped B.continued C.succeeded D.regretted
8.A.imagining B.counting C.recording D.practising
9.A.cancer B.fever C.sadness D.pain
10.A.warned B.forced C.advised D.allowed
11.A.As well as B.As soon as C.As a result D.As usual
12.A.patient B.quiet C.relaxed D.active
13.A.personality B.appearance C.disability D.achievement
14.A.cities B.countries C.communities D.colleges
15.A.standard B.modern C.foreign D.common
—What a sunny day! Why not go cycling?
—___________.
A.No, I don’t mind B.You’d better not C.That sounds great D.It’s my pleasure
