Brenda Bongos was a happy, artistic girl. She had one big ambition—to play the drums in a band. But one big obstacle lay in her way. To be good enough to play in a band, Brenda had to practice a lot, but she lived next-door to a lot of old people. Many of them are sick. She knew that the sound of beating drums would really get on their nerves. So, she had tried playing in the strangest places: a basement, a kitchen, and even in a shower. But there was always someone it would annoy.
One day, while watching a science documentary on TV, she heard that sound cannot travel in space, because there's no air. At that moment, Brenda Bongos decided to become a sort of musical astronaut.
With the help of a lot of time, books and work, Brenda built a space bubble. This was a big glass ball connected to a machine which sucked out all the air inside. All that would be left inside was a drum kit(成套设备) and a chair. Brenda got into the space suit she had made, entered the bubble, turned on the machine, and played those drums like a wild child.
It wasn't long before Brenda Bongos came very famous. Many people came to see her play in her space bubble. Shortly afterwards she came out of the bubble and started giving concerts. Her fame spread so much that the government suggested that she be part of a unique space journey. Finally, Brenda was a real musical astronaut, and had gone far beyond her first ambition of playing drums in a band.
Years later, when asked how she had achieved all this, she thought for a moment, and said: ''If those old people next – door hadn't mattered so much to me, I wouldn't have found a solution, and none of this would have ever happened.''
1.Why did Brenda try to play in the strangest places?
A.Because she didn't want others to hear her play. |
B.Because she didn't mean to disturb others. |
C.Because she didn't have her own room. |
D.Because she didn’t like her neighbors. |
2.Brenda started to give concerts _______.
A.after she practiced in her space bubble |
B.when she became part of the unique space journey |
C.after she became a real musicalastronaut |
D.when people came to see her in the space bubble |
3.Brenda became famous because _______.
A.she was good at music and science |
B.she became a real musical astronaut |
C.she invented a special way of practice |
D.she played well and had a talent |
4.Which of the following can be used to describe Brenda?
A.Kind, hardworking and clever. |
B.Brave, kind and hardworking. |
C.Lovely, brave and kind. |
D.Nervous, kind and clever. |
5.It can be inferred from the text that: " _______".
A.He laughs best who laughs last |
B.It's never too old to learn |
C.Two heads are better than one |
D.One good turn deserves another |
The website FarmersOnly.com calls itself an online dating and friendship finder. The idea started in the mind of a man, Jerry Miller in Ohio. He wondered how farmers could meet new people who understand the life of a farmer. Jerry Miller is not a farmer but he represents a lot of farmers.
As he tells it, the idea for the site was planted when a farmer told him one day that she was recently divorced and would like to date. But someone would invite her to meet for coffee at nine o’clock at night, when she had to start her day at five the next morning.
So, in 2005, Jerry Miller launched his website. “You don’t have to be a farmer to be on FarmersOnly.com, but you do have to have the good old-fashioned traditional values of America’s Heartland.”
You also have to live in the United States or Canada to be a member of the site. Some services are free, but a full membership costs fifty dollars for a year. As of last week the site listed more than 58,000 members. Many of them are farmers in the United States. Others are students or workers involved in some way with agriculture. Jerry Miller tells us about thirty marriages in the last year have resulted from his website.
Some farmers have also found love through a group, Singles in Agriculture, which was formed as a nonprofit organization in 1986. It organizes gatherings that usually end with a dance, but is not a dating service. The purpose is to support educational and social activities that offer people a chance for friendship. Its website, singlesinag.org, says there are more than 1,000 members across the nation and as far away as France.
1.Jerry Miller started singlesinag.org in order to .
A.help farmers |
B.support traditions |
C.understand farmers |
D.represent farmers |
2.What does the underlined sentence in Paragraph 2 indicate?
A.She dislikes city lifestyle. |
B.She prefers late night coffee. |
C.Country life isn’t well understood. |
D.It’s tiring to get up early. |
3.Which of the following is true of singlesinag.org?
A.Its services are free. |
B.It provides dating services. |
C.Only farmers can become its members. |
D.Farmers in France can’t benefit from it. |
4.The author of the text intends to .
A.advertise for the two websites |
B.introduce two websites |
C.encourage social activities |
D.urge readers to help farmers |
5.It can be inferred from the text that .
A.all farmers desire marriage |
B.farmers are easy to meet new people |
C.more farmers get divorced in the USA |
D.the Internet helps improve farmers’ social life |
It was a cold winter’s night when I stopped for gas on my way home from work. I was tired and had a slight 36 .
I worked in a 37 doctor’s office and this was one of those days when the unexpected happened, making the schedule run 38 than usual. It seemed I was going to be late 39 home and my husband, being the 40 person, would be ready to pronounce me late once again. Maybe 41 I hurried, I could still make it home.
I was heading inside to 42 for my gas when I noticed an older couple at the counter. I heard them asking for 43 to the local hospital. It was the same hospital that I had just 44 a few minutes ago.
The young man at the counter was trying to be 45 in explaining how to get there, with two other people making 46 . One of them was 47 trying to give them a whole different route back. It was then that I walked over to the couple and said, “Would you like to follow me to the 48 ?”
A look of 49 crossed the woman’s face.
“I’m going right by there,” I said, which wasn’t a(an) 50 since I had just made up my mind to do 51 that.
I got in my car and began the journey back. I was trying to watch to be sure they were right 52 me. It took only fifteen minutes to get there as rush hour traffic was beginning to 53 . I felt better than I had all day and my headache was nearly gone.
Later, as I arrived home, my husband 54 , “So you aren’t ever late any more.”
I said, “Sometimes it’s 55 to be late.”
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In order to improve your writing, you’d better write .
A.more or less |
B.little by little |
C.now and then |
D.step by step |
makes me feel sick the way she thinks everybody’s in love wit her.
A.What |
B.That |
C.As |
D.It |
--- How do you like the material?
--- Lovely. It soft.
A.is felt |
B.feels |
C.is feeling |
D.felt |