When you are little, the whole world feels like a big playground. I was living in Conyers, Georgia the summer it all happened. I was a second grader, but my best friend Stephanie was only in the first grade. Both of our parents were at work and most of the time they let us go our own way.
It was a hot afternoon and we decided to have an adventure in Stephanie's basement. As I opened the basement door, before us lay the biggest room, full of amazing things like guns, dolls, and old clothes. I ran downstairs, and spotted a red steel can. It was paint. I looked beyond it and there lay even more paint in bright colors like purple, orange, blue and green.
"Stephanie, I just found us a project for the day. Get some paintbrushes. We are fixing to paint. " She screamed with excitement as I told her of my secret plans and immediately we got to work. We gathered all the brushes we could find and moved all of our materials to my yard. There on the road in front of my house, we painted big stripes (条纹) of colors across the pavement (人行道). Stripe by stripe, our colors turned into a beautiful rainbow. It was wonderful!
The sun was starting to sink. I saw a car in the distance and jumped up as I recognized the car. It was my mother. I couldn't wait to show her my masterpiece. The car pulled slowly into the driveway and from the look on my mother's face, I could tell that I was in deep trouble.
My mother shut the car door and walked towards me. Her eyes glaring, she shouted, "What in the world were you thinking? I understood when you made castles out of leaves, and climbed the neighbors' trees, but this! Come inside right now !" I stood there glaring back at her for a minute, angry because she had insulted (侮辱) my art.
"Now go clean it up!" Mother and I began cleaning the road. Tears ran down my cheeks as I saw my beautiful rainbow turn into black cement.
Though years have now passed, I still wonder where my rainbow has gone. I wonder if, maybe when I get older, I can find my rainbow and never have to brush it away. I guess we all need some sort of rainbow to brighten our lives from time to time and to keep our hopes and dreams colorful.
1. What did the writer want to do when his mother came home?
A. To introduce Stephanie to her.
B. To prevent her from seeing his painting.
C. To put the materials back in the yard.
D. To show his artwork to her.
2. In his mother's eyes, the writer ____________.
A. was a born artist
B. always caused trouble
C. was a problem solver
D. worked very hard
3. The underlined word “rainbow” in the last paragraph refers to_________.
A. the rainbow in the sky
B. the stripes on the pavement
C. something imaginative and fun
D. important lessons learned in childhood
4. It can be learned from the passage that parents should .
A. encourage children to paint
B. value friendship among children
C. discover the hidden talent in children
D. protect rather than destroy children's dreams
Thousands of years ago, people only ate food that was grown near their homes. Some kinds of food were only grown in one place, so people from other places didn’t know about them. When Europeans first traveled to Central and South America in the 1500s, they discovered strange kinds of food that they had never seen before. Today, these are grown in a lot of different countries and they’re sold in supermarkets all over the world. They don’t seem strange any more!
Potatoes were first grown in the Andes in South America. In 1586, they were taken to Europe by explorers (探险家). In 1719, they were taken to North America. Before 1719, nobody in North America had ever seen or eaten a potato. Today each American eats more than 60 kilos of potatoes a year.
Tomatoes were also first grown by native (本地的) Americans. When European explorers visited the south of America in 1500, they took tomato seeds (种子) back to Europe. Soon, tomatoes were grown in Europe, but people in England didn’t eat them. At that time, a lot of English people thought that tomatoes were poisonous!
Chilies (辣椒) have been eaten in Central and South America for more than 8,000 years! In the 1500s, chilies were taken to Europe by explorers. Today, they are grown in hot countries all over the world.
1.How many kinds of food are mentioned in the passage?
A. Two. B. Three. C. Four. D. Five
2.People in Central and South America have eaten chilies for more than_______ years.
A. 1,500 B. 1,586 C. 8,000 D.1719
3.According to the passage, we know that _______.
A. people only ate food grown near their homes after 1719.
B. people in Europe were the first to plant potatoes.
C. Chilies have been eaten in Europe for more than 1000 years.
D. the European explorers took chilies to Europe in the 1500s.
Trip 1 Black Bear Count
There have been fires in this area in the last few years and the Office of the National Park is not sure how many black bears are still living. Some bears have been seen since the fires, and the Office has asked for young people to help count them. The entire trip will last three hours. Bookings necessary.
Cost: Free When: May 8
Trip 2 Garland Valley
Bring your drink and lunch for this walk in a beautiful area of the Blue Mountains. Garland Valley is close to the town of Garland but is part of the National Park. Many wild animals live in this area, including many rare birds. This is a great walk for bird-lovers. The trip lasts four hours. Bookings necessary.
Cost: $ 15 When: May 8, May 15
Trip 3 Flashlight Adventure
Put on your warm clothes, bring a flashlight and a pair of glasses, and come for a night walk along the Dungog Valley. A guide will lead the tour. Many of the animals you will see on this trip can only be seen at night. The guide will tell you about the lives of the animals you see. Numbers are strictly limited on night trips, so be sure to book early. This walk lasts two and a half hours.
Cost: $ 12 When: May 8, May 15, May22
Equipment to be needed:
• Please bring enough water and food for all walks.
• Wear good walking shoes—no high heels.
• Wear a hat for day walks.
• Dress warmly for night walks.
• Children must be with an adult.
• Make sure your flashlight works well and bring extra batteries for night walks.
• Follow all instructions from guides during the walks. The mountains are a dangerous place.
Bookings:
• Bookings for the above trips can be traded by telephone (893 — 4847) or on the Internet at www. bluemountaintour. com
1.Where are these trips?
A. In a large city.
B. In a park in the mountains.
C. In a special kind of zoo.
D. In three different countries.
2.On which trip might you see animals that sleep during the day?
A. Black Bear Count B. Garland Valley
C. Flashlight Adventure D. None of the trips.
3. Which of the following is NOT necessary for the three trips?
A. Good walking shoes. B. A pair of glasses.
C. Food and water D. A sleeping-bag
4.What is the best title for the passage?
A. Adventure Travel in America
B. Hunting around the Great Mountains
C. Interesting Trips in the East of the USA
D. Discovery Trips in the Blue Mountains
My aunt Edith was a widow of 50, working as a secretary, when doctors discovered she had got what was then thought to be a very serious heart illness.
Aunt Edith didn’t accept defeat easily. She began studying medical reports in library and found an article in a magazine about a well-known heart doctor, Dr. Michael Debakey, of Houston, Texas. He had saved the life of someone with the same illness. The article said Dr. Debakey’s fees were very high; Aunt Edith couldn’t possibly pay them. But could he tell her of someone whose fee she could pay?
So Aunt Edith wrote to him. She simply listed her reasons for wanting to live: her three children, who would be on their own in three or four years and among them a little girl who always dreamed of traveling and seeing the world. There wasn’t a word of self-pity -- only warmth and humor and the joy of living. She mailed the letter, not really expecting an answer.
A few days later, my doorbell rang. Aunt Edith didn’t wait to come in; she stood in the hall and read aloud:
Your beautiful letter moved me very deeply. If you can come to Houston, there will be no charge for either the hospital or the operation.
Signed：Michael Debakey
That was seven years ago. Since then, Aunt Edith has been around the world. Her three children are happily married. For her age, she is one of the youngest, most alive people I know.
1.“Aunt Edith didn’t accept defeat easily” means that .
A. she was very beautiful B. she was very strong
C. she was very brave D. she was very warm hearted
2.Why did Aunt Edith write to Dr. Debakey? Because .
A. she had no time to visit him
B. she didn’t know the way to Houston
C. she didn’t believe in him
D. she wanted to get some help from him
3. In fact，Aunt Edith’s letter to Dr. Debakey was full of .
A. courage B. illness
C. pity D. sadness
4.After reading Dr. Debakey’s letter，Aunt Edith felt .
A. discouraged B. frightened
C. disappointed D. Encouraged
I am a mother of three and have recently completed my college degree. My teacher’s last _ of the term was called “ Smile”. I am a very friendly person and always _ at everyone. So I thought this would be very __ .
Soon after we were given the project, my _ went out to McDonald’s. We were waiting to be served, when all of a sudden everyone around us began to move away, and even my husband did. There standing behind me were two homeless men_ .
As I looked down at the short gentleman with _ eyes, he said, “Good day.” The second man stood behind his friend. I _ the second man was mentally challenged (智障) and the blue-eyed gentleman was his helper.
The young __ at the counter asked him what they wanted. He said, “Coffee is all, Miss.” Because that was all they could _ .I smiled and asked the young lady to give me two more breakfast meals on a separate tray (托盘). I then said to the men, “ I did not do this for you. God is here whispering me to give you hope.” When I joined my husband, he smiled at me, saying, “That is __ God gave you to me, Honey, to give me hope.”
I returned to _ with this story in hand. I_ “my project” and the teacher read it. Then she looked up at me and said, “Can I _ this with the class?”
I slowly _ and she began to read and that was when I knew that we, as human beings, share this to help people and to be helped. In my own way I had _ the people at McDonald’s, my husband, sons, teacher, and every person that shared the classroom on the last night I spent as a college student.
1.A. question B. project C. class D. expression
2.A. smile B. laugh C. look D. stare
3.A. difficult B. funny C. important D. easy
4.A. teacher B. classmates C. family D. children
5.A. in surprise B. in silence C. in rags D. in fear
6.A. tearful B. blue C. closed D. black
7.A. realized B. accepted C. permitted D. admitted
8.A. helper B. gentleman C. lady D. friend
9.A. drink B. want C. take D. afford
10.A. how B. when C. where D. why
11.A. college B. home C. church D. McDonald’s
12.A. put up B. handed out C. handed in D. put away
13.A. publish B. share C. copy D. keep
14.A. turned B. left C. shook D. nodded
15.A. touched B. knew C. forgot D. Recognized
—Jane, which color do you prefer, red or blue?
—______. I prefer to buy a green one.
A. Either will be OK
B. Both will be OK
C. To be honest, neither
D. Generally, I’m not sure
