With only fish and birds for company, Eric Erden has been rowing across the Pacific Ocean to Australia in his 23-foot-long boat since he left California on July 10, 2009.
This is the first part of Eric’s trip around the world using only his own energy. He will row, bike, and walk without help from any motors at all. His plan includes climbing the tallest mountain on each of the six continents he visits, to honour the memory of a fellow climber.
He says he is doing this to show kids that they can achieve any goal, but he also hopes to have some great adventures along the way.
Storms and huge waves regularly force him in the wrong direction and even threaten to overturn his boat. “Sometimes I really feel scared,” says a somewhat embarrassed Eric. “But that’s part of the journey. I knew this wouldn’t be easy when I started.”
Protein bars give him energy, and he boils water to heat freeze-dried meals on a one-burner stove. A sun-powered machine removes salt from ocean water so he can drink it, but when that fails he sometimes tries to collect rainwater in a bucket.
He’s not bothered by any of the hardships. Eric sees the world as a laboratory where there is much to learn. And when his trip around the world takes him across land, he enjoys meeting people — especially children. He has already visited several schools and shared his story.
1.Why is Eric making this trip?
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A．To encourage children to reach for their goal. |
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B．To learn to overcome various hardships. |
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C．To do experiments all over the world. |
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D．To honour the memory of a fellow climber. |
2.What does Eric plan to do on each of the six continents he will visit?
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A．Visit schools to share his story. |
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B．Study the culture of the local people. |
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C．Climb the tallest mountain. |
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D．Cycle from one end to the other. |
3.How does Eric mainly get drinking water?
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A．He boils the seawater on a stove. |
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B．He has brought fresh water with him. |
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C．He collects rain water in a bucket. |
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D．He uses a special machine to make seawater fresh. |
4.Which of the following words best describes Eric’s character?
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A．Determined. |
B．Intelligent. |
C．Fearless. |
D．Lonely. |
Parents and kids today dress alike, listen to the same music, and are friends. Is this a good thing? Sometimes, when Mr. Ballmer and his 16-year-old daughter, Elizabeth, listen to rock music together and talk about interests both enjoy, such as pop culture, he remembers his more distant relationship with his parents when he was a teenager.
“I would never have said to my mom, ‘Hey, the new Weezer album is really great. How do you like it?’” says Ballmer. “There was just a complete gap in taste.”
Music was not the only gulf. From clothing and hairstyles to activities and expectations, earlier generations of parents and children often appeared to move in separate orbits.
Today, the generation gap has not disappeared, but it is getting narrow in many families. Conversations on subjects such as sex and drugs would not have taken place a generation ago. Now they are comfortable and common. And parent—child activities, from shopping to sports, involve a feeling of trust and friendship that can continue int0 adulthood.
No wonder greeting cards today carry the message, “To my mother, my best friend.”
But family experts warn that the new equality can also result in less respect for parents. “There’s still a lot of strictness and authority on the part of parents out there, but there is a change happening,” says Kerrie, a psychology professor at Lebanon Valley College. “In the middle of that change, there is a lot of confusion among parents.”
Family researchers offer a variety of reasons for these evolving roles and attitudes. They see the 1960s as a turning point. Great cultural changes led to more open communication and a more democratic process that encourages everyone to have a say.
“My parents were on the ‘before’ side of that change, but today’s parents, the 40-year-olds, were on the ‘after’ side,” explains Mr. Ballmer. “It’s not something easily accomplished by parents these days, because life is more difficult to understand or deal with, but sharing interests does make it more fun to be a parent now.”
1.The underlined word gulf in Para.3 most probably means _________.
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A．interest |
B．distance |
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C．difference |
D．separation |
2.Which of the following shows that the generation gap is disappearing?
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A．Parents help their children develop interests in more activities. |
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B．Parents put more trust in their children’s abilities. |
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C．Parents and children talk more about sex and drugs. |
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D．Parents share more interests with their children. |
3.The change in today’s parent-child relationship is _________.
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A．more confusion among parents |
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B．new equality between parents and children |
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C．1ess respect for parents from children |
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D．more strictness and authority on the part of parents |
4.The purpose of the passage is to _________.
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A．describe the difficulties today’s parents have met with |
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B．discuss the development of the parent—child relationship |
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C．suggest the ways to handle the parent—child relationship |
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D．compare today’s parent—child relationship with that in the past |
For hundreds of years, Japan has been hit, from time to time, by tsunamis（海啸）, which are caused by earthquakes or underwater volcanoes. The story of the boy Yuuki is the story of such a disaster.
Yuuki lived with his family in a seaside village, below a small mountain. One day, as he played on top of the mountain, Yuuki felt a small earthquake but it was not strong enough to frighten anybody. Soon after, however, Yuuki noticed the sea darken and begin running away from the shore very fast, leaving behind wide areas of beach that had never been seen before.
Yuuki remembered reading that just before a terrible tsunami, the sea suddenly and quickly rolls backward. He ran to the beach, warning the villagers who had gathered to admire the new beach land.
But no one listened. They laughed at him and continued playing in the new sand.
Desperate, Yuuki could think of only one thing to do. He lit a tree branch, raced to the rice fields and began burning the harvested rice. Then he called out, “Fire! Fire! Everyone run to the mountain! Now!”
When everyone reached the mountain top, a villager cried out, “Yuuki is mad! I saw him set the fire.” Yuuki hung his head in shame, but said nothing as the villagers screamed at him.
Just then, someone shouted, “Look!”
In the distance a huge dark wave of water was speeding towards the shore. When it hit the shore, it destroyed everything.
On the mountain everyone stared at the village ruins in terror.
“I'm sorry I burned the fields,” said Yuuki, his voice trembling.
“Yuuki,” the village chief answered. “You saved us all.”
The villagers cheered and raised Yuuki into the air. “We were going to celebrate our rice harvest tonight,” said one, “but now we’ll celebrate that we’re all still alive!”
1. Where was Yuuki when the earthquake struck?
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A．On the beach. |
B．On the mountain. |
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C．In the rice fields. |
D．At home. |
2.In what order did the following events take place?
a.Yuuki ran to the rice fields.
b.The villagers paid no attention to Yuuki’s word.
c.Yuuki went to warn the villagers.
d.The village was in ruins.
e.The people were screaming at Yuuki.
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A．c, b, d, a, e |
B．a, c, d, b, e |
C．c, b, a, e, d |
D．a, c, d, e, b |
3.How did Yuuki save the villagers from the disaster?
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A．He told them about the earthquake. |
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B．He explained why the sea was flowing out. |
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C．He told the village chief to warn the people. |
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D．He set fire to the rice field. |
4.What were the people planning to do before the tsunami struck their village?
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A．Burn the rice crop. |
B．Play on the beach. |
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C．Climb the mountain. |
D．Celebrate the rice harvest. |
阅读下面短文，按照句子结构的语法性和上下文连贯的要求，在空格处填入一个适当的词或使用括号中词语的正确形式填空。
Mary took off her shoes and ran over the hot sand. She tiptoed into the water, 1. (laugh) as a wave washed over her legs. She looked back at her mother, 2. was sitting under a big umbrella, holding an apple in one hand and a drink in the 3. .
Just then, a big wave came and 4. (sweep) Mary's feet, making her fall into the water. She tried to scream, 5. swallowed some water instead. She didn't know 6. way was up or down. She pushed with her hand against 7. sand and came up for air. She screamed desperately and tried hard to swim.
When she 8. (final) returned to the shore, Mary ran over to her mother, who was standing up 9. a worried look on her face.
But to her mother’s surprise, Mary said, “This is the 10. (good) vacation ever, Mum. Come and play with me in the water.”
To my family and friends,
I have just started my tour of the area badly affected by the war. Everything is going really well, so no 16 . The land is beautiful but unfortunately it has a lot of 17 too. Let me 18 .
Last week, 120 school girls were 19 by a gas leak（泄漏）. Most have recovered but six are still in 20 . Even though the local government speaks about the 21 of education, most of the kids here only attend school for four hours a day if they are lucky. They are so excited and 22 to learn, but then have to 23 things like being attacked. Most of these kids are 24 and can’t afford a pencil or even paper. So I’m planning a trip to several schools to talk about 25 and to give these kids some of the 26 they need. That is where all of you can help. If you can 27 whatever school supplies you have available, that would be 28 appreciated.
I know how busy you are so thank you for taking the 29 to do this and I will post pictures of this 30 after I return.
Thank you again.
Todd Tucker
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书面表达（满分25分）
请根据以下内容要点写一篇报导给《中国日报》，谈谈农村儿童失学的主要原因以及你的看法。(词数100左右)
原因：1.家庭贫困，无力供孩子上学，不得不在家做工。
2.部分家长认为上学无用，不愿让孩子上学。
3.部分儿童对功课不感兴趣，不思上进。
看法：1.每个孩子都应有受教育的机会。
2.全社会都应重视儿童教育，他们在未来国家建设中起重要作用。
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