Many years ago there lived a very rich man who wanted to do something for the people of his town. First, however, he wanted to find out whether they deserved(值得)his help.
In the centre of the main road into the town he placed a large stone. Then he hid behind a tree and waited. Soon an old man came along with his cow.
"Who put this stone in the centre of the road?" said the old man but he did not try to remove the stone. Instead, with some difficulties he passed around the stone and continued on his way. Another man came along and did the same thing then another came, and another. All of them complained （抱怨）about the stone in the centre of the road, but not one of them tried to remove it.
Later in the afternoon a young man came along and saw the stone. He feared that someone might fall and get hurt so he began to move the stone away, pushed and pulled with all his strength(力气) to remove it. But much to his surprise, under the stone he found a bag of money and a piece of paper with words, "The money is for the first man who removes this stone from the road." It means the first man who removed the stone deserved the money.
1.What did the rich man place in the centre of the road?(不超过5个词)
_______________________________________________________________________________
2.Why did the young man move the stone away?(不超过10个词)
_______________________________________________________________________________
3.What does the message on the paper mean?(不超过15个词)
_______________________________________________________________________________
You're at home. You can’t go out because you're busy. But you can't stop checking your phone. What's everyone else doing? Does this sound like you? Then perhaps you have FOMO—Fear of Missing Out.
"Sometimes I see a picture of some friends online, " explains Lucas 16. "They’re hanging out somewhere. I can’t go—maybe I have homework. But it makes me feel unhappy. My friends are having fun and I'm not."
About 20% of teenagers say that they get this feeling, but people of all ages experience FOMO.
For Grace, 21, her FOMO is a serious problem. "I never read or play sports now, " she explains. "I go out almost every night because I don't want to miss out. Or I sit at home and I read online about what my friends are doing. FOMO kills your interests in your spare time."
Dr. Suzanne Taylor, a psychologist(心理学家), says social networking website are not helping people with FOMO. "They're perfect for communicating with friends and relatives — all over the world. But they're full of pictures of your friends,doing exciting things. Suddenly, other people's lives look interesting and our own lives feel boring."
So how can we fight FOMO? Should we stop using social networks? "That isn't possible for many people,’’ says Dr. Taylor. "But before bed tonight, put your phone in another room. And before you go to sleep, think about the interesting things you're doing this week. And remember how lucky you are.’’
1.People with FOMO _____________.
A.worry about activities that they aren’t going to
B.always share plenty of pictures on the Internet
C.do not have a lot of close friends around them
D.can't help checking their email all the time
2.Why is FOMO a problem for Grace?
A.Because she's afraid to go out with her friends. B.Because she spends all day on her computer.
C.Because she doesn't have any hobbies now. D.Because she can’t finish homework in time.
3.Dr Taylor thinks social networking websites ___________.
A.shouldn’t be used to share the fun B.have both good and bad points
C.are interesting when were bored D.are helpful to people with FOMO
Everyone, likes to feel that he or she is special. Unfortunately, many of us grow up believing that we’re not special at all. We wish that we could be better at sports or more attractive. We wish we had nicer clothes or more money. Like the Scarecrow, the Tin Man, or the Cowardly Lion from The Wizard of Oz (《绿野仙踪》), we believe we’re not good enough just as we are. In the movie, the Scarecrow wishes that he had a brain. The Tin Man wishes he had a heart, and the Lion wants courage. In the end, each of them realizes that he already has what he needs.
Most parents want us to be the best we can be. They sometimes try to encourage us to do better by comparing us to others. They mean well, but the message we often get is that we’re not good enough. We begin to believe that the only way we can be special is by being better than someone else, but we are often disappointed. There will always be someone out there who is better than we are at something. There are plenty of people around who may not be as smart as we are but who are better at sports. Or they may not be as good-looking, but they have more money. It is impossible for us to be better than everyone else all the time.
Like the Scarecrow, the Tin Man, and the Cowardly Lion, we all want what we believe will make us better people. What we don’t realize is that often we already have inside us the very things that we seek. Parents sometimes forget to tell us that we are special, that we are good enough just as we are. Maybe no one told them that when they were growing up, or maybe they just forgot. Either way, it’s up to us to remind them from time to time that each of us, in our own way, is special. What we are ... is enough.
1.Parents often ____________ to encourage us to do better .
A.read us The Wizard of Oz B.compare us to others
C.buy us plenty of things D.tell us we are common
2.The writer of this article wants to tell us that _____________.
A.the Cowardly Lion doesn’t have courage
B.smart people are more special than others
C.it is important to be better than everyone else
D.we are all good enough just the way we are
3.This article was most probably written by a_________________.
A.patent B.teacher C.teenager D.sportsman
They play many different kinds of music-from traditional Thai songs to music by Beethoven. Both children and adults love this group. What makes them so popular? Is it their music? Their looks? Yes, its both of these things, but it's also something else: they’re elephants.
These musical elephants are from the Thai Elephant Conservation Center(TECC)in Lampang. The TECC protects elephants. It teaches people to understand and care for these huge, but gentle（温顺的） animals, And like many zoos around the world, the TECC encourages elephants to paint.
Richard Lair works with TECC. He knew that elephants hear better than they see. So he had an idea: if elephants are intelligent and they have good hearing, maybe they can play music. To test his idea, Lair and a friend started the Thai Elephant Orchestra(管弦乐队). During a show elephants play different kinds of instruments, including the drums. The animals also use their voices and trunks(象鼻)to make sounds.
But can elephants really, make music properly? Yes, says Lair. They’re very creative. Humans may encourage the animals to play instruments, but the elephants make their own songs; they don’t just copy their trainers or other people. There are now CDS of the group's music, which make money for the TECC. And the music these articles create is pretty amazing.
1.The elephants at the TECC_______________.
A.see better than they hear B.are encouraged to paints
C.can't create their own music D.make their own instruments
2.Richard Lair started the Thai Elephant Orchestra because he_____________.
A.was quite interested in playing music B.needed to make money for the TECC
C.thought elephants could play music D.wanted to be famous in Thailand
3.What might be the best title for the text?
A.Teaching Elephants to Paint B.Elephants in Danger
C.smart TECC Trainers D.An Unusual Orchestra.
Toys and games are fun, but inventing them is serious business. Big toy companies treat it even more serious, because the more toys they sell, the more money they make. They have adults who do nothing but think up new toys. Sometimes they even work in locked rooms so no one can steal their ideas!
But not every new toy is invented that way. Some of the best inventions are made by kids.
Thirteen- year old Casey Golden loved to play golf(高尔夫). He invented a way to make the game more fun. He Invented a new golf tee(球座). It is called the Bio tees Most golf tees are made from wood, but Casey’s tee is made out of recycled paper. It does not harm the environment. Casey started his own company to make his new tee. He’s already had orders for millions of them.
Jessica Peach invented a toy when she was only eight. Jessica likes to jump rope. She jumps alone and she jumps with friends. To jump alone, you need a short rope. With friends, you need a long rope. So Jessica invented a new kind of jump rope. The length of Jessica s jump rope can be modified. It can be made long to jump with friends. Or it can be made short to jump alone. When you are done jumping, you can even turn the jump rope into a belt(带子), Now Jessica has a business to sell her jump ropes.
Do you have a great idea for a new invention? Give your idea a try. It may become the next Biotee or latest jump ropes.
1.In big toy companies, ___________ is serious business.
A.playing games B.inventing toys C.locking rooms D.stealing ideas
2.The Biotee______________.
A.was invented by a 13-year-old girl B.is harmful to the environment
C.is not different from most golf tees D.is made out of recycled paper
3.Paragraph 4 is mainly about______________.
A.the best inventions made by kids B.Jessica Peach's favorite activity
C.Jessica Peach and the latest jump rope D.Casey Golden and the new golf tee
4.What does the underlined word "modified" in Paragraph 4 mean?
A.调整 B.忽略 C.估计 D.确定
A:Hello?
B:Hi. 1.
A: No, sorry. Sandra's not in at the moment.
B: Oh. Do you know when she"ll be back?
A: 2.
B: OK. Well, could I leave a message for her?
A: 3.
B: Could you ask her to give me a call this evening?
A: Sure. 4.
B: Bella, I'm a colleague(同事)from work. 5.
A: All right. I'll tell her.
A.No, I' ve no idea.
B.She's got my phone number
C.Yes, of course.
D.Who's answering the phone?
E.Could I have your name, please.
F.Is that Sandra?
G.I'll call later.
