Outside her shabby cottage, old Mrs. Tailor was hanging out laundry on a wire line, unaware that some children lay hidden in the leaves of a nearby tree watching her every move. They were determined to find out if she really was a witch.
They watched as she took a broomstick to clean the dirt from her stone steps. But, much to their disappointment, she did not mount the broomstick and take a flight. Suddenly, the old lady’s work was interrupted by the cackling of her hen—a signal that an egg had been laid in the warm nest on top of the haystack.
The old broomstick was put aside as she hobbled off towards the haystack followed by Sooty, a black cat she had rescued from a fox trap some time back. With only three legs, it was hard for Sooty to keep up with the old lady. The cat provided proof—the children were sure that only a witch could own a black cat with three legs.
There, standing on a wooden box, was Mrs. Tailor, stretching out to gather her precious egg. Taking the egg in one of her hands, she began to climb down when, without warning, the box broke and the old lady fell.
“We have to got and help her,” whispered Amy.
“What if it is a trick?” replied Ben.
“Don’t be silly, Ben. If she were a witch, she would have turned us into frogs already,” reasoned Meg. “Come on, Amy, let’s go.” The girls climbed down the tree and ran all the way to the haystack.
Approaching carefully, they could see a wound on the old lady’s face. She had knocked her head on a stone and her ankle was definitely broken. “Go and get Dad,” Amy yelled to her brother. “Tell him about the accident.”
The boys did not need another excuse to leave. They ran as fast as they could for help, hoping that Mrs. Tailor would not wake and turn the girls into frogs.
1.Why were the children hiding in the tree?
A. They wanted to watch Mrs. Tailor do her housework closely.
B. They were playing a hide-and-seek game.
C. They wanted to find out if the rumors about Mrs. Tailor were true.
D. They were pretending to be spies.
2.Mrs. Tailor stopped sweeping when ________.
A. her front steps were clean
B. she noticed the children in the tree
C. she was ready to take a flight
D. she heard the hen cackling
3.Ben did not rush in help Mrs. Tailor because ________.
A. he thought that she could be tricking them
B. he knew that they could not have been in the tree
C. he did not see the old lady fall down
D. he was afraid of the three-legged cat
4.Which of these old sayings best suits the story’s lesson for us?
A. Make hay while the sun shines.
B. Never judge a book by its cover.
C. People in glasshouses should not throw stones.
D. A bird in the hands worth two in the bush.
One day, Zeng’s wife decided to go out for shopping, but her little son insisted on going with her to the market. Thinking that she would come back very soon, and that the naughty boy would bring her a lot of trouble, she was unwilling to do so.
In order to persuade the boy to stay home, she told him, “Oh, come on, good boy, if you listen to Mom and then Mom will give you a present when I am back.”
“What present are you going to give me, Mom?” asked the son.
“We haven’t eaten meat for a long time, so I will kill our pig and let you enjoy a big nice dinner.” The mother comforted the boy when it happened that their pig was wandering in front of the house. Just at that time, her husband came back and heard what she said. Thinking of the nice meal, the boy gave in.
Not very soon, the mother came back, but what she saw shocked her. It was her husband who had killed the only pig of the poor family.
“Why did you kill it? You know that it is very important for my family.” she scolded him.
“I did that just for your promise!” Mr. Zeng answered.
[写作内容]
以约30个词概括这则中国寓言故事“曾子”的品质；
以约120个词，从“曾子”或者“曾子之妻”的行为任选一个角度发表你的看法，
并包括如下要点:
(1) 你认为“曾子”或者“曾子之妻”的不同的做法对孩子的教育会导致的结果是什么样的，并说出理由；
(2) 叙述你一次诚实守信的经历，并谈谈你的感受。
[写作要求]
1．可以使用实例来支持你的论点，也可以参照阅读材料的内容论述，但不得直接引用原文中的句子；
2．标题自定。
The benefits of being an independent business are truly great. Beyond the rewarding nature of owning something truly unique, small businesses have the edge over their big business counterparts in many areas. Consider the importance of being independent and how that independence can help drive your business.
To some, having fewer customers simply means less cash flow; however, having a smaller base also allows you to focus more on customer satisfaction.
Companies are always searching for ways to improve customer service and have more of their business. Whether through paying special attention to who comes through your door or monitoring your customers through the social network, it’s less of trouble to make sure your customers’ needs are being met when there’s a smaller sample to deal with. In addition, it becomes much easier to create a personal connection with buyers when you have enough time and attention to show them some love.
Small businesses have an inherent advantage over their big box competitors in the sense that they can offer something different. People want to see the independent businesses that offer unique products and flavor to their communities. Your business can be the difference when it comes to what customers want.
Of course, big box companies will almost always beat you down when it comes to price. Consider, however, that if you can offer a truly unique product or experience, price becomes much less of an issue.
People like the idea of supporting local independent businesses versus “the big guys”. So, what businesses are booming due to the rise of independence?
Craft Beer(精酿啤酒) — The craft beer movement in the United States is supported so widely that big breweries have taken to creating their own competing “craft beer” brands in an attempt to follow the trend. While Anheuser Busch represents nearly half of America’s breweries, craft beer has seen a huge jump in sales in recent years.
Video Games — Whether through PCs, traditional consoles or mobile games, independent developers are supported by enthusiastic fans and micro-transactions in an industry that was formerly dominated by bigger developers.
Musicians — The modern web offers immense opportunities to musicians, resulting in more economic and artistic freedom. A surprising number of mainstream artists have seen great success from their independent releases, such as Macklemore’s The Heist, which has sold over one million copies in the United States alone.
Some small businesses don’t want to be small businesses forever. Regardless, consider what independence does for you and your company. If you offer something out of the ordinary, you can build an audience that respects your individuality and supports your cause.
The necessity of being an independent business | |
A focus on customer 1.______________ | A smaller sample of customers makes it easy to 2.________ to customers’ needs. |
With enough time and attention to show customers some love, an independent business person finds it easier to connect with them 3._________. | |
An offer of something completely different | Small businesses can offer something 4.________ the ordinary to their communities. |
Being different can 5._________ a large number of active consumer groups. | |
A really unique product or experience can make customers take 6.__________ less seriously. | |
An appeal to an independent business | In the USA, craft beer is very popular with people, having 7.________ well in recent years. |
Independent game developers gain the support of crazy fans in an industry that 8.__________ to be in the control of bigger developers. | |
A surprising number of mainstream artists 9.________ great success to their independent releases. | |
A chance to 10._____ for some small businesses | For some small businesses, independence can attract a group of people that respect their individuality and support their development. |
动词填空
1.—Hi, long time no see. Where have you been all these days?
—I ________(be) in Europe on business.
2.—Be quick. I _____________ (wait) for you for nearly an hour!
—Sorry, I’ll arrive soon.
3.The last 3 years ___________ (see) great changes in China.
4.The film _____________________ (finish) by the time you get to the cinema.
5.Three minutes earlier and the patient _______________ (save).
6.If we ________________ (book) a table earlier, we wouldn’t be standing in the queue now.
7.__________________ (explain), the boy finally got my meaning.
8.Mr. Smith teaches at a university, but he _____________ (work) on the exhibition to help out.
9.If you aren’t satisfied with the result, I _____________ (do) it all over again.
10.My brother ________________ (be) all right again by the end of this month.
单词拼写
1.New York is a m_________________ city where people from different backgrounds work and live together.
2.He dislikes me and never supports me. In a word, he has p_______________ against me.
3.The man from the insurance company is making a___________ of the accident and will make compensation.
4.Ladies and gentlemen, welcome board our flight！ Our s____________ will serve foods and drinks during the five-hour trip.
5.Taiwan is part of China and we will never allow its s________________ from the mainland.
6.A positive attitude will keep one healthy both physically and s_________________.
7.Several teachers are awarded prizes for their d_______________ to their work.
8.She had a normal p_________________ and delivered a healthy child.
9.I went to the basketball match and got Kobe’s a_________________ signature(亲笔签名) after the game.
10.A good student is one who is self-disciplined, imaginative and full of c___________.
Conventional wisdom says that hardship can make us old before our time. In fact, a new study suggests that violence not only leaves long-term scars on children’s bodies, but also changes their DNA, causing changes that are equal to seven to ten years of premature aging.
Scientists measured this by studying the ends of children’s chromosomes(染色体), called telomeres, says Idan Shalev, lead author of a study published in Molecular Psychiatry.
Telomeres are special DNA sequences which prevent the DNA in chromosomes from separating. They get shorter each time a cell divides, until a cell cannot divide any more and dies.
Several factors have been found to shorten telomeres, including smoking, radiation and psychological stresses such as being treated badly when young and taking care of a chronically ill person.
In this study, researchers examined whether exposure to violence could make children’s telomeres shorten faster than normal. They interviewed the mothers of 236 children at ages 5, 7 and 10, asking whether the youngsters had been exposed to domestic violence between the mother and her partner; physical maltreatment by an adult; or bullying. Researchers measured the children’s telomeres—in cells obtained by swabbing the insides of their cheeks—at ages 5 and 10.
Telomeres shortened faster in kids exposed to two or more types of violence, says Shalev. Unless that pattern changes, the study suggests, these kids could be expected to develop diseases of aging, such as heart attacks or memory loss, seven to 10 years earlier than their peers.
Shalev says there is hope for these kids. His study found that, in rare cases, telomeres can lengthen. Better nutrition, exercise and stress reduction are three things that may be able to lengthen telomeres, he says.
He study confirms a small but growing number of studies suggesting that early childhood adversity imprints itself in our chromosomes, says Charles Nelson, a professor of pediatrics and neuroscience at Harvard Medical School.
1.The new study found that ________.
A. violence leaves scars on a child’s mind
B. hardship can change a child’s aging
C. violence can speed up a child’s aging
D. hardship has a long-term effect on a child’s mind
2.According to the text, telomeres ________.
A. can make a cell die quickly
B. can help prevent DNA from separating
C. become shorter before they die
D. are at the ends of people’s chromosomes
3.All of the following things can shorten telomeres EXCEPT ________.
A. smokingB. cell divisionC. maltreatmentD. doing exercise
4.Which of the following is TRUE, according to the text?
A. Violence can cause quick cell division in children’s body.
B. Being treated badly will make a child’s telomeres shorten faster.
C. Researchers measured the children’s telomeres from their legs in the study.
D. Children who have shorter telomeres may have a heart attack earlier.
5.Which is the best title for the passage?
A. Violence Ages Children’s DNA
B. Children’s Changing DNA Patterns
C. Violence and Telomeres
D. the Function of Telomeres
