Several weeks ago, our headmaster, Mr. Gaudi, told us that our school had been chosen to compete on Smart Aleck—a game show which my best friend Carla and I both love. Carla has a good imagination, ______ I know a lot of history. So we thought we’d be good ______ for the team.
A few days later, Mr. Gaudi held a meeting with everyone interested in the ______ . He told us that Smart Aleck uses a five member team. He also said that three more people would be needed as backup (替补). ______ , four times that many students were at the meeting. So Mr. Gaudi said we would have a ______ among all the students present and the top ______ scorers would become the team and the backup. Everybody agreed that this was a ______ way to decide.
Yesterday, all of the hopefuls went to the dining hall after school. We would have to _____ the starting line-up（阵容）. Mr. Gaudi acted as the ______. After a couple of hours, all the ______on the team were set except one. Carla and I ______ for that last position. We had to hold a one-on-one competition ______ the two of us. The winner would be on the team and the loser would be the ______.
Midway through our two-person competition, I was starting to pull ahead. ______ I saw the look on Carla’s face. I waited for a second and knew what I had to do. As much as I wanted to be on Smart Aleck, Carla wanted ______ even more. So, starting with my next question, I held back and let Carla ______, just by a little bit. Her expression as she ______ she would be on the show made up for my not being on the team. And since I will go as backup, I’ll still have the ______ of seeing the show up close.
Was I ______ by not trying as hard as I could? I don’t think so. No one noticed, and Carla and I didn’t ______ it. It won’t hurt the team because Carla will be a very good competitor on the real show. I think that making my best friend happy was the right thing to do.
1.A. but B. or C. so D. and
2.A. pairs B. choices C. leaders D. fans
3.A. course B. work C. play D. show
4.A. Luckily B. Unluckily C. Importantly D. Hopefully
5.A. direction B. discussion C. competition D. conversation
6.A. five B. three C. two D. eight
7.A. special B. hard C. funny D. fair
8.A. decide B. draw C. push D. make
9.A. headmaster B. coach C. host D. headteacher
10.A. places B. rules C. names D. orders
11.A. tied B. clapped C. cried D. returned
12.A. of B. on C. between D. among
13.A. backup B. audience C. cheerleader D. member
14.A. Still B. Never C. Then D. Again
15.A. us B. it C. me D. her
16.A. wait B. turn C. move D. win
17.A. accepted B. realized C. considered D. refused
18.A. laughter B. sadness C. fun D. change
19.A. coming B. refusing C. helping D. cheating
20.A. mean B. plan C. regret D. say
We need to be responsible for our environment. Being a frugal consumer (节俭的消费者) is one way to help. 1.
Use It Up.
You can use things up instead of wasting them. Squeeze (挤) that last bit of toothpaste out of the tube. 2. Don’t throw away any bits of the biscuit at the bottom of the box.
Wear It Out.
You do not always need to have new things. Suppose your sneakers (运动鞋) have broken laces (鞋带) , but they still fit you. Repair them and wear them longer. You don’t have to have the latest iPhone until the old one doesn’t work any more. Then you can get a new one. 3.
Make It Do.
When something you want is not on hand, look for something else that you already have to take its place. Suppose you are packing your lunch for tomorrow and want a butter sandwich. You are out of butter. Have a cheese sandwich instead so you can use all of the cheese. Learn to fix broken toys instead of just throwing them away. 4.
5.
Think about all those things that you would like to have. Do you really need them? How long will you really play with that new toy you saw on TV? Making the things that we want uses up our world’s resources (资源). And, getting rid of the things we don’t want any more takes up even more resources and space.
A. Do without it.
B. Throw it away.
C. What exactly does that mean?
D. Do you know what to consume?
E. Use the last little piece of soap.
F. With a little thought, you can make something do.
G. Think twice before replacing something that still works.
My summer hols wr CWOT. B4, WE USED 2go 2 NY 2C my bro, his GF & thr 3 :-@ KIDS FTF. ILNY, its gr8.
Can you understand this sentence? If you can’t, don’t feel too bad: neither could the middle school teacher in England who received this as homework. This is Netspeak: the language of computerized communication found on the Internet or cellphones. To newcomers, it can look like a completely foreign language.
School teachers and parents say this new form of writing is harming (破坏) the English language. Increasing spelling and grammatical mistakes can be seen in students’ writing. They fear the language could become corrupted (面目全非的).
Everyone should just relax, say linguists (语言学家). They believe Netspeak is in fact more of a good thing. David Crystal, from the University of Wales, argues that Netspeak and Internet create a new language use and the almost lost art of diary writing has been picked up again. Geoffrey Nurnberg, from Stanford University, agrees. “People get better at writing by writing,” he says. “Kids who are now doing text messaging, e-mail, and instant messages will write at least as well as, and possibly better than, their parents.”
Linguist James Milroy says, for centuries, it is believed without exception that young people are harming the language. And when today’s teenagers become tomorrow’s parents, they too will think this way. Milroy argues that languages do not and cannot become “corrupted”; they simply change to meet the new needs.
However, Netspeakers do agree that it is important to teach young people how to speak and write Standard English. Cynthia McVey says, “I can understand Netspeak worries teachers and it’s important that they tell their pupils that text messaging is for fun, but that learning to write proper English is a must for their future.”
1.What is the purpose of the first paragraph?
A. To give the main idea. B. To raise a question.
C. To compare an example. D. To lead in the topic.
2.Who can understand the Netspeak in England?
A. Middle school teachers. B. Parents.
C. Linguistics. D. Teenagers.
3.Who believes Netspeak users can help improve writing?
A. Cynthia McVey B. David Crystal
C. Geoffrey Nurnberg D. James Milroy
4.What’s James Milroy’s attitude toward Netspeak?
A. Positive. B. Negative.
C. Doubtful. D. Worried.
5.What can be the best title for the passage?
A. Netspeak: the Language on the Internet
B. Is Netspeak Helpful in Language Learning?
C. Is Netspeak Harming the English Language?
D. Netspeak: Advantages and Disadvantages
When you are sitting in class, have you ever drawn pictures in the margins (页边的空白处) of your notebooks? If so, you are doodling. Many people think of doodling as a distraction (分心) from more important things. But it might be just the opposite.
One study shows that doodling may help you remember things you hear 29% more. Besides, doodling can help you think creatively. Walking away from a problem to draw might actually help you solve it. When you come back, you’ll have a fresh perspective and figure out an answer more quickly.
An author named Sunni Brown wrote a book on doodling. She argues that doodling is a tool that can help people think. In fact, she runs a business that helps companies improve organization and planning through doodling. Brown believes doodling is helpful because it includes many ways of learning. You learn in four ways: seeing, hearing, reading or writing, and through movement. The more ways you use, the better you learn. And when you doodle while listening to a lecture, you use all four.
You might think that being good at drawing is important for doodling. But if the point of doodling is to help you think, then it doesn’t matter what the picture looks like. Even if you’re not an artist, doodling can help you. So next time you need help focusing, pick up a pen and doodle away!
1.The passage mainly tells us the ________ of doodling.
A. advantages B. disadvantages
C. effects D. problems
2.What does the underlined word “perspective” probably mean in Paragraph 2?
A. 体验 B. 观点
C. 困扰 D. 机会
3.How does Sunni Brown feel about doodling?
A. It helps remember better. B. It helps think creatively.
C. It involves four ways of learning. D. It needs drawing skills.
4.According to the text, it is helpful to doodle when ________.
A. you want to focus your attention. B. you have a conversation.
C. you wonder in the park. D. you watch a movie.
5.Where is the passage possibly taken from?
A. A book review. B. A message board.
C. A student textbook. D. A science magazine.
Free Online Courses |
Reading in the Digital Age This course is for people from all walks of life who enjoy reading and would like to know how literary scholars understand texts in the digital age. It introduces you to a variety of ways of understanding texts. Through the course, you will become familiar with professional reading practices as well as newer, computer-driven reading skills. Duration: 6 weeks 4 hours pw 2 August |
Exploring English: Shakespeare This course is aimed at high school students and university students who wish to learn more about Shakespeare. The first week will look at Shakespeare’s life and times. For the rest of the course, we will look closely at a different play each week. Shakespearean actors will help us explore the universal themes in Romeo and Juliet, Hamlet, The Tempest and Macbeth. Our video tutor (辅导员) will guide you through the course and look at the words and phrases that Shakespeare introduced to the English language. Duration: 6 weeks 2 hours pw 16 July |
The European Discovery of China This course is aimed at anyone with an interest in Chinese, European or world history. It focuses on when and how the West first approached China. We will look at China’s place in the world and connections to the West via the Silk Road, the rise of Genghis Khan and the Mongol Empire, and finally the Ming dynasty. We’ll know this period of Chinese history through the eyes of Western travellers from the 13th to the 17th century. What these Western travellers saw, what they didn’t see — that’s the story that we will uncover in this course. Duration: 8 weeks 6 hours pw 6 July |
1.When you take Reading in the Digital Age, you will ________.
A. walk into different people’s life B. learn ways of understanding texts
C. get better at computer skills D. share opinions with literary scholars
2.Who will help students better understand the themes of Shakespeare’s plays?
A. Actors. B. Scholars.
C. Historians. D. Video tutors.
3.What can people learn from The European Discovery of China?
A. China’s discovery of the West. B. The rise and fall of the Qing Dynasty.
C. The importance of the Silk Road. D. China’s interest in Western travellers.
4.What are the subjects of these online courses?
A. Science and history. B. Media and health.
C. Nature and environment. D. Language and culture.
5.In which way do the three courses have in common?
A. They are aimed at students. B. They are provided for free.
C. Each lasts 6 weeks. D. Each takes 2 hours per week.
假定你是李华，正在加拿大访学。你看到杂志上有一篇介绍中国端午节的文章，发现文中配图是赛艇而不是龙舟。请你给编辑部写一封信，内容包括：
要点如下：
1. 赞赏对方介绍中国文化；
2. 指出错误；
3. 希望更正；
4. 词数100左右。
参考词汇：赛艇 — rowing boat 龙舟 — dragon boat
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
