I received pictures of my daughter floating (漂浮) on a lake in California. Right there under the sun during the hottest time of the day, she has only her swimsuit to cover her.
When I showed it to my students, it was as if I had shown them scenes from a horror (恐怖) movie.
“But she will get dark,” they said.
“That’s what she wants,” I told them. “We think darker skin (肤色) is beautiful.”
They looked at me in disbelief. It was as if I came from the moon.
For years, American girls spend their summer trying to get as tanned (晒黑) as possible. In China, on the other hand, girls use umbrellas all year round.
What in the world is going on?
The pale skin we think looks unattractive (不漂亮) is what Asian women want. Both groups want to meet their culture’s standard (标准) of beauty.
In the US, if you can afford to go on vacation in the summer, you head for a river, a lake or a beach, where you try to get as much sun as possible. If you are rich you take a winter vacation in some sunny spot. Your winter tan shows your wealth.
In China, once upon a time, the few wealthy were the ones who didn’t have to work out in the hot sun. So the whiter the skin, the richer the woman. The folk opera performers who play these ladies wore lots of white makeup (妆容). The tradition survives to this day.
So it comes naturally that none of my students wishes to follow the Western ways in this regard.
But now I am noticing that a new business – the tanning booth (美黑店) – started up in China. I admire those brave enough to define（给…下定义）their own idea of beauty, but I do wonder what their grandmothers would have to say to them about it!
1.The students were shocked at the picture the writer showed them because ______.
A. they thought it shameful for a girl only to wear a swimsuit
B. the writer’s daughter was wearing very little while out in the sun
C. it is dangerous for a girl to be out on a lake alone
D. with the powerful sunlight the writer’s daughter would have got a suntan
2. According to the article, which kind of woman meets the American standard of beauty?
A. Women with blond hair. B. Women with a slim figure.
C. Women with tanned skin. D. Women with pale skin.
3. In the US a winter tan usually means the person _____.
A. is hard-working B. doesn’t have to work
C. has a lot of money and spare time D. is from a very poor family
4.The writer ______ the tanning booth started up in China.
A. is not interested in B. doesn’t understand
C. doesn’t like D. has mixed feelings about
My school makes students take one religion (宗教) class every year. But religion is really hard, especially with Mr Frank Smith for a teacher.
Mr Smith is 55 years old, with grey hair and a moustache (胡子). He always wears a blue school T-shirt, shorts and tennis shoes with long white socks. My friends say he looks like a cat.
In his class, we did yoga (瑜珈) and meditation (冥想) (actually most of the children in my class lay on the ground sleeping), tasted some strange tea, had classes outside in the garden, and watched videos and movies about Tibetan Buddhism (藏传佛教), God, and so on.
It was fun sometimes. However, the course (课程) was quite hard when it came to tests. The girls often worked until one or two o'clock in the morning on nights before the tests, but they still got bad scores.
When our test scores were bad, he would give us some makeup assignments (补考作业). Once I got a B, which I thought was bad, so I asked Mr Smith for an assignment to bring up my grades.
As a matter of fact, his assignments were often worse than the tests. The tests were just a lot of multiple-choice, fill-in-the-blanks, or short essays (文章). But his assignments usually included a speech in class.
I was not afraid of public speaking, yet it took me three days to collect the information, two days to write the speech, one day to make a PowerPoint and several hours to prepare. I knew my presentation (课堂展示) was good, because I saw Mr Smith's big smile when he listened to me. He gave me an A at last.
After finishing the course, I may not remember how hard it was or the meaning of some vocabulary. But through Mr Smith, I learned a lesson that will be with me my whole life. That is: no matter what we do, we need to put our hearts into it, and then our work will pay off.
1.The religion class is hard because Mr Smith _______.
A. uses strange ways to teach in his class.
B. never gives good scores, however hard you try.
C. gives difficult tests and make-up assignments.
D. likes students to make good presentations.
2. How could students get good scores in Mr. Smith’s class?
A. Work hard by studying late into the night.
B. Remember all of the vocabulary.
C. Pay attention and take notes in class.
D. Do well on the make-up assignment.
3.From the course, the writer learned that ____.
A. people should always be given a second chance
B. people should always put their hearts into their work
C. it is good to do yoga and meditation
D. it is good to choose strict teacher
James shook his money box again. Nothing! He carefully 36 the coins that lay on the bed. $24.52 was all that he had. The bicycle he wanted was $90! 37 on earth was he going to get the 38 of the money? He knew that his friends all had bicycles. It was 39 to hang around with people when you were the only one without wheels. He thought about what he could do. There was no 40 to ask his parents, for he knew they had no money to 41 . There was only one way to get money, and that was to 42 it. He would have to find a job. 43 who would hire him and what could he do? He decided to ask Mr Clay for advice, who usually had __44 in most things. "Well, you can start right here," said Mr Clay. "My windows need cleaning and my car needs washing." That was the 45 of James’s odd-job (零工) business. For three months he worked every day after finishing his homework. He was surprised by the 46 jobs that people found for him to do. He took dogs and babies for walks, cleared out cupboards, and mended books. He lost count of the 47 of cars he washed and windows he cleaned, but the 48 increased and he knew that he would soon have 49 for the bicycle he was dying for. The day 50 came when James counted his money and found $94.32. He 51 no time and went down to the shop to pick up the bicycle he wanted. He rode 52 home, looking forward to showing his new bicycle to his friends. It had been hard 53 for the money, but James knew that he valued (重视) his bicycle far more 54 he had bought it with his own money. He had 55 what he thought was impossible, and that was worth even more than the bicycle.
1.A. cleaned B. covered C. counted D. checked
2. A. How B. Why C. Who D. What
3.A. amount B. part C. sum D. rest
4.A. brave B. hard C. smart D. unfair
5.A. need B. reason C. result D. right
6.A. separate B. spend C. spare D. save
7.A. borrow B. earn C. raise D. collect
8.A. Or B. So C. For D. But
9.A. decisions B. experience C. opinions D. knowledge
10.A. beginning B. introduction C. requirement D. opening
11.A. similar B. ashamed C. peaceful D. various
12.A. brand B. number C. size D. type
13.A. effort B. pressure C. money D. trouble
14.A. all B. enough C. much D. some
15.A. finally B. instantly C. normally D. regularly
16.A. gave B. left C. took D. wasted
17.A. patiently B. proudly C. silently D. tiredly
18.A. applying B. asking C. looking D. working
19.A. since B. if C. than D. though
20.A. deserved B. studied C. achieved D. learned
I shall never forget those years ____ I lived in the country with the farmers, ____ has a great effect on my life.
A. that; which B. when; which C. which; that D. when; as
Tom along with his classmates ______ for the coming exam.
A. are preparing B. are preparing themselves
C. is preparing him D. is preparing himself
The garden looks more beautiful ____ a lot of flowers coming out.
A .for B. with C. because of D. as
