“Aw, isn't it cute?”
That, right there, is the officially accepted response to any animal contact（接触） the world over. Animals are cute. They're there to be photographed, loved, and occasionally fed. But you know what? Not all animals are cute, or lovely, or even nice. Some of them are a real pain in the neck.
When you travel, you come into contact with all sorts of animals you’ve never heard of before. Some of them are amazing creatures that you'll talk about for the rest of your life. Some of them are just annoying. So, at the risk of causing anger among animal lovers around the world, here are some of the world's most annoying animals.
Vervet monkeys, South Africa
You'll immediately notice two things about Vervet monkeys: they have a bright blue bottom; and they'll steal any food that's not locked in a bank safe. I recently spent some time in South Africa, and watched as monkey after monkey dived in from the trees and stole everyone's food. Get your own food, Vervets! My sandwich was expensive!!
Kea parrots, New Zealand
I have never seen one of these birds before but from what I've been told they are more annoying than a spoilt kid. From biting the paint off your car doors to stealing people's passports, Keas are probably the most curious, and therefore annoying, animals in the world. And they're New Zealanders. That makes sense!
Kangaroos, Australia
Another well-known food-stealer, kangaroos are loved by tourists, eaten by Australians, and generally enjoy making trouble for others. Go on a camping trip anywhere in Australia, and watch how long your bags of food last. Turn your back for 15 minutes and the camp will look like thieves have turned the place upside down.
Grizzly bears, USA
They look pretty cute, grizzly bears. You almost want to go up and give them a hug. Unfortunately, it wouldn't end well. In fact, one of the world's most huggable creatures is also the one most likely to kill you just because it can. Oh, and it'll steal your picnic basket, too.
1.The author uses the underlined expression “pain in the neck” to suggest .
A. these animals may bite you on the neck
B. these animals can cause people a lot of trouble
C. people should be fearful of these animals
D. these animals may cause some serious illness
2.Which of the animals is the most dangerous according to the writer?
A. Vervet monkeys. B. Grizzly Bears.
C. Kangaroos. D. Kea Parrots.
3.Which of the following is not correct according to the passage?
A. When people see the cute animals they might take photographs of them.
B. Sometimes people will feed the cute animals.
C. Australians eat kangaroos.
D. Spoilt kids are not annoying at all.
About 18,000 refugees (难民) from Burma have come to the United States each year since 2007. Some have settled in Howard County, Maryland between Baltimore and Washington. A local school began teaching English to the children of the refugees. But while the children learned the language, their parents did not. That made communication with teachers arduous.
At present, almost fifty children from Burma attend Bollman Bridge Elementary School. Laurel Conran is a teacher there. She said, “The main idea is the global idea.” She teaches English to speakers of other languages. One of her students is Tha Neih Ciang. Another student is Tha Neih’s mother, Tin Iang. Ms. Conran practices English with Tin Iang at the mother’s workplace. Many refugees from Burma work at Coastal Sunbelt Produce, a supplier of fruits and vegetables to restaurants and other businesses.
Laurel Conran started classes at the company to help refugees from Burma learn English. Laurel Conran said, “The program is a six-week session. It’s once a week, on every Wednesday, from twelve to one o’clock. So every Wednesday I go to Coastal Sunbelt.” As the workers eat lunch, they also practice their new language skills.
Lisa Chertok has a child at Bollman Bridge. She is also a manager at Coastal Sunbelt. She helped Ms. Conran develop the lessons, which she says have really helped. Lisa Chertok said, “Well, when the Burmese employees got here, they were very, very shy. Now I find that they are more outspoken than before. They’re more communicative. As parents, they are also more involved in their children’s school.”
Jonathan Davis is the headmaster of Bollman Bridge Elementary School. Mr. Davis hopes the lessons will help these parents feel better about communicating with the school. He said, “Even as simple as making a phone call to say that their son or daughter is sick, even if that’s the amount of English that they have got from the program, that truly will help us.”
1.What does the underlined word “arduous” in Paragraph 1 mean?
A. Interesting. B. Necessary.
C. Difficult. D. Surprising.
2.When the refugees from Burma first arrived in Howard County, .
A. neither the children nor the parents could speak English
B. the parents liked communicating with the teachers
C. the parents could help their children speak English
D. the children could speak very good English
3.What can we learn about Laurel Conran from the passage?
A. She mainly teaches English to the local children in a school.
B. She worked at Coastal Sunbelt Produce before being a teacher.
C. She teaches not only English but also other languages.
D. She often goes to the refugees’ company to teach them English.
4.Jonathan Davis hopes that the lessons will .
A. totally change the difficult life of the refugees
B. help the parents communicate better with the school
C. help the parents get along better with their children
D. encourage more refugees to send their children to the school
My husband is reading The Secret Garden aloud to our kids. They are at the part where Mary has told Colin that she’s found the garden her mother loved. It’s an exciting moment. But the passage I’m waiting for is a few chapters on, after Colin has tasted his first breaths of fresh air and Mary has grown strong running in the garden. It’s just a detail, but my kids will notice it: a delicious description of roasted potatoes and eggs.
We have a tradition of trying foods from the books we read aloud. It started when we read Elizabeth Enright’s The Saturdays, and one of the boys asked, “What are petit fours?” An answer, my husband and I felt, wouldn’t be as good as a sample. So one Saturday we all sat down having tea and little cakes, covered with pink, green, and yellow. It was exciting for the kids to try a dessert they had learned about in a book. The petit fours they tried didn’t tell them what it was like to live in New York City 60 years ago, but tasting them made the book’s words alive.
Later, when we read C.S. Lewis’s The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, we had Turkish delight. We read The Penderwicks, written by Jeanne Birdsall, and had gingerbread (姜饼). We read Paddington Bear and tried marmalade.
Soon we will reach the part of The Secret Garden where Mary, Colin, and Dickon roast potatoes and eggs in a small oven (炉) in the earth. My kids will go out into the woods to find the perfect place for an oven of our own. Yes, we’ve eaten potatoes and eggs, but never in the open air.
The world that a good book creates is whole and real, but it lies flat on the page until a reader gives life to it.
1.The text is written mainly to .
A. show the importance of reading aloud
B. provide a new means of family education
C. discuss food culture in children’s books
D. introduce some interesting books
2.The author believes tasting foods from the books may help children .
A. understand the books better
B. be friendlier to each other
C. know more about history
D. enjoy more healthy food
3.From the fourth paragraph, we can learn that the author’s family .
A. will look for a secret garden in the woods
B. will read The Secret Garden in the open air
C. will cook potatoes and eggs in the woods
D. will eat roasted potatoes and eggs at home
4.Which of the following could be the best title of the passage?
A. The best way to make kids learn
B. Eating means more than reading
C. The taste of a good book
D. Our roasted potatoes and eggs
As I entered womanhood, mom told me that no matter what happened and no matter what I did, I could always come home. Because of what those words meant to me, I said the same thing to my .
My childhood was filled with — a lot of kisses，lots of hugs, and lots of spoken “I love you”. Because of what those meant to me, I my sons the same things.
My mom came from a family and had a difficult childhood，yet she never about how unlucky she was. my mom, I saw love’s ability to forgive.
I saw my sweet mom love my Grandpa, he had abandoned her and my Grandma and failed to for their needs; I never saw mom treat Grandpa any way but lovingly, even though he was far from . I learned how love behaves and forgives.
I watched my mom my 100-year-old grandma who，in her blindness，deafness and feebleness(虚弱)，needed almost care. When I was in her home, I heard what I’ve heard all my life, “I love you, mom.” They would this to each other at least five times a — when mom got Grandma up，made her comfortable in bed，or prepared her . And I would hear love’s when Grandma said, “And I love you too.”
Love forgives and , not focusing on what has happened. , love’s focus is on what needs to be done and on doing it the we can.
My mom taught me to love；she told me to it on to my children, and she forgiveness herself.
1.A.friends B.children C.settlers D.neighbors
2.A.happiness B.entertainment C.confusion D.attraction
3.A.paid B.ordered C.gave D.bought
4.A.famous B.broken C.fortunate D.peaceful
5.A.regretted B.argued C.complained D.wondered
6.A.In B.Like C.With D.Before
7.A.if B.because C.so D.although
8.A.offer B.provide C.support D.react
9.A. modest B. ordinary C.kind D.smart
10.A.pick up B.bring out C.look after D.turn to
11.A.little B.total C.early D.major
12.A.whisper B.amuse C.greet D.encourage
13.A.day B.month C.year D.second
14.A.gesture B.dormitory C.mess D.meal
15.A.question B.response C.solution D.measure
16.A.walks on B.falls behind C.moves on D.runs away
17.A.However B.Instead C.Also D.Therefore
18.A.quickest B.least C.longest D.best
19.A.pass B.look C.put D.write
20.A.defended B.expected C.showed D.supported
---We should help and learn from each other as a group.
---I can’t agree more. _______ you are strong, I am weak.
A. Where B. Though C. As D. While
---What impressed you most in President Xi Jinping’s New Year Speech?
---_______ he gave the Chinese people a thumbs-up.
A. That B. When C. What D. Whether
