The Nile River is the "Father of African Rivers". The Nile is 6,671 km long. It is the longest river in the world. The river runs from south to north, beginning in the mountains of Burundi and ending in the Mediterranean Sea.
The Nile played an important role in the development of ancient Egypt. It ran through ancient Egypt, bringing water to plants and a wide river to ships. The river was full of fish and the banks were full of good things for ancient Egyptians to eat.
Each spring, snow on the mountain tops would become water. That was a very good thing. When the water passed by, it left behind good soil. Plants could grow well in the black and rich soil. The Egyptians called it "the gift of the Nile".
The Nile provided other gifts for ancient Egyptians. Papyrus (纸莎草), used for everything especially in making paper, grew along its banks. It provided water for cooking and bathing. There were also different fish and water birds. Wild vegetables could be found along with bird eggs. Although Egypt is in the middle of a desert, life along the Nile was wonderful.
1.Where does the Nile River start?
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2.Why was the Nile important to ancient Egypt?
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3.What was the "the gift of the Nile" for the ancient Egyptians?
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4.Where did papyrus grow?
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5.What does the writer think of ancient Egyptians' life along the Nile?
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Andrea's big day was 1.(final)here. She had been admitted (允许进入) into the medical school in Boston. She was on the flight (航班) to her new school. It was time 2. her to get up from the seat. She realized how nervous she really was. Her legs were 3.(shake) and her heart was racing.
"Keep calm!" she kept 4.(say) to herself on the way to her new flat. She had worked so hard to get here, and she knew that there was nothing to be afraid of. Still, as she looked out of the window of her new living room, the world outside looked too scary 5. face. Having grown up on the West Coast, she was not fully 6.(prepare) for everything here. The warm and bright sun that she was once used to 7.(see) outside this time of year was nowhere to be seen.
She decided to stay in her flat that night. And she didn't go out 8. it was time for her class the following afternoon. As the teacher asked some basic questions, Andrea's mind went completely blank. "Oh, no!" she thought to 9.(her). "I shouldn't be here! Everyone knows much more than me." Just then, the teacher called her name and asked her a question. Though she was quite scared, the answer just came out of her mouth naturally. "Great!" said the teacher. "You'll do great here in the 10.(come) school years." As the teacher walked away, Andrea smiled.
1.I love ice cream very much. But every time I eat it, it always gives me a bad headache. Shouldn't I have any ice cream?________
2.My friends Bob often shouts to me, "Huh? Can you speak up?" Bob likes to put on his headphones and listen to loud music. I want to know if loud music hurts his ears. ________
3.We like video games so much that we often hear something like this from Mom, "Enough! Turn off that thing and find something else to do!" But you know we have been lost in the games and it's hard to stop. ________
4.I wish I were as thin as a catwalk model or as strong as my favorite football player. Sometimes I wish I were taller or just had a good shape. Can you give me some advice? ________
5.I've been looking forward to Thanksgiving dinner all the year—turkey, fried potatoes and pumpkin pie. However, every time I finish the turkey, I start to feel sleepy. Is there anything in turkey that makes me sleepy? ________
A.You wish to change your shape, right? There isn't any magic medicine that can make it. Even though you lifted weights, you wouldn't be able to develop big muscles(肌肉)like adult men. But you'd better take more exercise.
B.Studies have shown that playing video games too much can cause health problems. And without enough exercise, kids can become too fat. Why not do something interesting like playing basketball or chess?
C.Although you may feel pain, it doesn't mean that something is wrong with your body. Eating cold foods slowly may be helpful to your headache.
D.In fact, nothing in turkey makes you sleepy. You know, when people are quite full, they always feel sleepy. If you eat other foods, the results will be the same.
E.Listening to loud music a lot can cause hearing loss (丧失), especially if headphones are used. Tell him to turn down the volume (音量), and he won't be saying "What?" later on.
Candy: the not-so-sweet story
Your parents warn you not to have too much sugar, but you think, "So what? It is just a small candy. 1. "
One candy is fine, but things can quickly get out of hand if you are not careful, and the result may not be so sweet.
Did you know that candy was used as medicine at first? Ancient Egyptians and Greeks used honey-coated fruits, nuts and flowers to treat digestive disorders (消化失调). 2.
3. Real sugar comes from plants such as sugarcane and sugar beets. The sugar in candy is artificial (人造的). It not only has nothing healthy, but causes blood sugar to go up.
The clearest harm is to our teeth because candy provides easily digestible energy for the bad bacteria (细菌) in our mouth. 4. Not surprisingly, people who have a lot of sugar are most likely to become overweight. This is true for all age groups, especially for children. In addition, sugar can lead to serious problems such as cancer and other illnesses.
So, as you can see, too much of a good thing can be bad. Cut down on sugar and you will find yourself doing better in school and sleeping better at home! Just remember, "You are what you eat."
A.Even as late as 18th century, candy was used for people with digestive problems.
B.Candies are popular with children.
C.It can't possibly do much harm.
D.Unexpectedly, candy doesn't even have real sugar in it.
E.Sugar also sends a message to our brain and body that it is OK to take more.
Like many words, "smart" has lots of meanings.
For example, "smart" can describe a well-dressed person. We can also use "smart" as a verb, meaning "to feel pain". But the most usual meaning of "smart" is "to be very good at learning and understanding things". So when students do well at school and get good grades, we say they are "smart".
Being smart, however, goes out of classrooms. People can be smart in different ways. If they have been in school for many years and have learned a lot, people may call them "book-smart". Such people often know the names of great thinkers, scientists and other famous people in history. They know facts and information that other people don't know. However, sometimes such people are not smart when it comes to life skills. Then, people who are good at solving life problems are "street-smart". They may not have read many books, but they have the ability to use their experience.
Then, it may surprise you that "getting smart" is not good. "Getting smart " means "being rude or impolite". It's very common to hear parents say to their children, "Don't get smart with me." And that's not the only "smart" expression that can get you into trouble. We often use "smart" with "off" together. In class, there is a student who has a really smart mouth. He gives the teacher smart answers in class too many times. The teacher may say, "Do not smart off in class!"
1.If you cut yourself and it hurts a lot, you can say, "_______!"
A.I'm book-smart B.I'm street-smart
C.That really smarts D.I have a smart mouth
2.Why aren't book-smart people smart sometimes?
A.Because they haven't read many books.
B.Because they have a really smart mouth.
C.Because they don't get good grades at school.
D.Because they sometimes can't solve life problems.
3.What does the underlined sentence in the last paragraph mean?
A.Leave me alone. B.Don't be rude to me.
C.It's none of your business. D.Don't pay attention to me.
4.What's the best title for the passage?
A.When to use "smart" B.Learning to be smart
C.Is being smart good or not? D.Different meanings of "smart"
Before winter arrives, many kinds of birds know that it is time to fly south. The migration (迁徙) has always made us think hard. Why do only some birds migrate? How do birds know when to go south? How do they find their way?
Some birds fly south because their food supply runs short in winter. The woodpecker (啄木鸟), for example, doesn't need to fly south because it can find food in the bark (树皮) of trees. Some birds eat grains, insects and other food that disappear in winter, so they must fly south where food can still be found. But why don't they stay in the south? Perhaps they know that if they stayed down south, they would run out of food there, too.
It is possible that birds know when winter is coming because they find that the days are getting shorter. Once they leave from the north, they use the sun as a compass. The sun is in different positions in the sky at different times of day. To use it as a guide, birds would have to know the time of day. On long flight, most birds use the stars to navigate (导航) their way.
The homing pigeon (信鸽) doesn't use the sun or the stars. Scientists believe that it uses the magnetic field (磁场) of the earth. One of the most amazing migrations is that of the tiny hummingbird (蜂鸟). It travels from Canada to Mexico—a long distance of over 3,600 kilometers.
1.It is believed that some birds fly south because ________.
A.they need food B.they like warm weather
C.they get lost D.it is just a habit
2.On long migration flights, most birds find their way with the help of _______.
A.the stars B.other birds
C.the moon D.the magnetic field
3.Which of the following is NOT true according to the passage?
A.The woodpecker usually doesn't need migration.
B.The hummingbird flies to Mexico for food.
C.Birds migrate before winter comes.
D.Birds that eat insects like staying in the south better.
