Now I am living in Italy, working as an English language assistant. I am living with one of the _______ from a local school, who is very kind. At the moment, it’s a bit _______ as we don’t always understand each other. This is known as a _______ barrier(障碍), when two people cannot communicate because they don’t have a language in _______.
I have learnt that it is more _______ speaking in real life than speaking it in the classroom. My teachers could _______things to me in English when I didn’t understand. My _______ doesn’t speak any English. When I don’t know the _______ in Italian, I try to explain it and when that doesn’t _______, I try to show the thing I’m talking about.
Yesterday, the Internet wasn’t working and I had to __________ my housemate where the router(路由器) was so I could find the password for the Wi-Fi. I had no __________ what the Italian word for router was so I tried to explain it several time. In the end, I called it the “Internet box” and she __________ what I meant.
However, it isn’t all __________. When we finally understand each other, we both __________ and have a little celebration. Sometimes I feel very __________ because keep making many mistakes, but my housemate __________ me nicely and tells me that I’m doing well. I can also feel my language __________ because I have no choice but to __________ Italian. I hope that I will be speaking like a real Italian by the time I __________. I’m determined to __________ over this language barrier.
1.A.teachers B.doctors C.workers D.waiters
2.A.grateful B.difficult C.boring D.exact
3.A.hearing B.sight C.language D.taste
4.A.business B.advance C.addition D.common
5.A.powerful B.popular C.official D.different
6.A.forgive B.gain C.explain D.hold
7.A.neighbor B.housemate C.classmate D.friend
8.A.word B.letter C.name D.place
9.A.appear B.work C.happen D.flash
10.A.pass B.tell C.ask D.beg
11.A.point B.use C.doubt D.idea
12.A.kept B.ordered C.understand D.missed
13.A.simple B.nice C.bad D.wild
14.A.whisper B.clap C.value D.decorate
15.A.unfair B.embarrassed C.excited D.moved
16.A.corrects B.spreads C.reforms D.examines
17.A.improving B.escaping C.ignoring D.losing
18.A.create B.host C.live D.speak
19.A.leave B.begin C.grow D.arrive
20.A.hand B.climb C.take D.turn
If you have a poor night of sleep, it’s difficult to stay awake in class next day. Your teacher’s voice might begin to sound like a lullaby(催眠曲). 1. To keep yourself awake, some tips are worth trying in class.
Sit in the front of the room. Why? 2. You’ll also be near the people who are more likely to participate, and the sound of their voices might keep you awake.
3. Ask and answer questions and pay attention to the lesson. This will help if you’re tired or discouraged by the content of the lesson. Talking will also keep you busy and active. It might be helpful to make a goal for yourself to answer or ask at least three questions per class. 4.
Listen actively to the lesson. 5. It requires engagement of your mind as well as your body. To effectively listen to your teacher, you should try to maintain(保持) eye contact, face him/ her, pay close attention to what he/ she is saying and ask questions during a pause in the lesson.
A. Take part in class activities.
B. Develop interest in the subject.
C. If so, classrooms can be boring.
D. Try to take notes as much as possible.
E. Practicing active listening can help you keep your eyes open.
F. To avoid annoying your teacher, you should try to keep your questions on topic.
G. You’ll be more encouraged to stay awake for knowing the teacher can see you easily.
It’s spring in Southern California, when leaving the house means getting faced with the sweet smell of flowers. It’s also wildflower season, and thanks to some nice rains, we’re surrounded by super flowers. It got me thinking about the one sense, and thanks to some nice rains, we’re surrounded by super flowers. It’s also wildflower season, and thanks to some nice rains, we’re surrounded by super flowers. It got me thinking about the one sense I usually take for granted: Smell. And that’s especially true when it comes to teaching my child about the world.
There are some blocks and toy cars for touching, learning and body development. The toys are mainly mirrors, lights, things that make noise. Through these, children are introduced to materials, sights, and sounds. We also offer out children a daily touching of flavors and tastes. But how can we teach smell? Out of all the senses, smell is most closely linked with memory, but it’s the one I often forget in my own life unless I’m faced with it – the sweet orange flowers of spring, the movie popcorn smell that remains on my clothes after I leave the theater, the sharp smell of onions, or the carpets in a house where someone smoked for decades.
I want to develop that sense more for myself, but also want to cultivate(培养) it in my child too. So last weekend I took my son on a smelly walk, and we walked around the neighborhood for flowers to experience and discuss. He’s only 2.5 years old, so I still have to remind him to smell by sucking the air in through his nose, not blowing the air out like a dragon. And it actually went really well! I think nest time we might walk through my training: Smells “cozy.” Smells “like morning.” Smells “like grandpa.” (Grandpa lives in Ohio and we haven’t seen him in more than a year, so I don’t know what this means.)…
1.What does the author usually take for granted?
A.The timely rains. B.The sense of taste.
C.The sense of smell. D.The knowledge about the world.
2.Children may develop other senses except smell by_______.
A.playing toys B.smelling flowers
C.going to the theater D.buying some popcorn
3.Why did the author remind the child to smell in a certain way?
A.It was the best way to smell.
B.The child was not old enough yet.
C.The child asked the author to do so.
D.The author dislike the child’s way to smell
4.How did the author feel about the training of smell last weekend?
A.Curious B.Worried
C.Anxious D.Satisfied
Parents can cut the chances of their children getting fat simply by keeping them longer at table. Just three extra minutes at a family mealtime could help prevent child fatness. The reasons might lie in communication and the importance of a scheduled mealtime.
Dr Barbara Fiese said, “Children, whose families have a 20-minute meal over four times a week, weigh lighter than kids who leave the table after15 to 17 minutes. Over time, those extra minutes per meal add up and become really powerful.”
Researchers studied 200 family mealtimes, testing the influences of mealtime habits of families with children in primary school. They found that families, who said that shared mealtimes were an important part of family life and had special meaning for them, were less likely to have fat children. Similarly, families who talked more together and communicated more positively during the meal, were more likely to have healthy-weight children.
Teaching families how to make full use of family mealtimes was a wise idea. “This is something we can do and teach. It’s also important to recognize the increasing differences of families and their complex living schedules that may challenge(挑战) their abilities to plan ahead and set some time to communicate with each other,” said Dr Fiese.
Families in poorer US neighborhoods faced more problems, including poor chances of getting healthy food. But even so, regular high quality family mealtimes made a difference to the children’s weight. Dr Fiese said, “Three to four extra minutes per meal will make a healthy weight more possible.”
1.How long is reasonable for a family mealtime according to the text?
A.About 10 minutes. B.About 12 minutes
C.About 15 minutes D.About 20 minutes.
2.What’s the advantage of a longer family mealtime according to the text?
A.Children can better enjoy their meals.
B.Children can have a good rest while eating.
C.Children can communicate more during the time.
D.Children can have more time to choose what they like.
3.What does the author want to show in paragraph3?
A.The result of a study. B.Different eating habits.
C.Causes of child fatness. D.The importance of normal eating
4.What can be the best title for the text?
A.Mealtime talk helps to lose weight
B.Healthy food makes normal weigh
C.Poorer families have thinner children
D.Longer family mealtimes help prevent child fatness
When my best friend and I were teenagers, our favorite place to hang out was the Hallmark store. If we had money, we would choose a perfect card for each other and then share tears or smiles depending on what emotion the words expressed. In those coming years we developed a friendship built on sincere feelings and we often found comfort in the words of a Hallmark card. I think it is perhaps since those years that I have become a greeting card collector.
The other day, while cleaning out the storage in my home, I came across the bag where I have kept greeting cards. They are the lasting messages that speak the meanings of my life. I pulled out a foolish-looking card. It has a stick drawing on the front that seems to be my portrait(肖像画), I laughed as I realized this is exactly how my oldest daughter saw her mum. Opening it up I saw a hand-drawn heart with eyes and a big smile. On the other side are some words “You are the best mum in the world!” This may be one card that Hallmark cards cannot compete with for it is a treasure more precious than gold. I can’t go back to where I’ve been but, from time to time, I can be taken into a welcomed memory trip.
These are the Hallmark moments of our lives. Words from once upon a time inspire us to appreciate the people in our lives who mean so much. When we sometimes have doubts, or when the world treats us unfairly, the encouraging words are there in black and white, sometimes drawn in a homemade stick drawing with a heart-shaped smiling face standing out from the rest.
Life is a Hallmark card when you care enough to send the very best.
1.What influence does the Hallmark card have on the author?
A.Finding her real hobby.
B.Becoming a greeting card donor.
C.Getting real friendship and comfort.
D.Learning to share the experience of making cards.
2.The author uses “a welcomed memory trip” in paragraph 2 to show that_______.
A.she often remembers her past trip
B.those cards are very meaningful for her
C.her daughter’s words moved her deeply
D.drawing herself on the cards is very meaningful
3.Why does the author think the words on the cards mean a lot?
A.Because they make her full of thanks.
B.Because they are written in different colors.
C.Because they can help her overcome doubts.
D.Because they always inform her of the card collector.
4.What can be the best title for the text?
A.Words on the cards B.Collecting greeting cards is a hobby.
C.Life is a Hallmark card D.Memory in the childhood
There are over 10,000 various species(种类) of birds across the world. These creatures are warm-hearted, can fly and lay eggs. From different sizes, communication skills, shapes, colors, to types of flight, the creatures are thought to be wonder.
Avocets
There are four different species of avocets found around the world. This bird is found in North and South America, Europe, and even Australia. They are seldom seen in other areas. They live in large groups, and have been known to become quite eager to fight, if they feel they are in danger.
Eastern bluebirds
These types of birds are around 6.5inches in length. Such birds are found mainly in gardens and woodlands with the arrival of spring. Male eastern bluebirds are bright blue and white. Female eastern bluebirds are gray. New York and Missouri have named this creature as their state bird.
Catbirds
Catbirds are known to copy the sounds of other birds. This bird is gray in color and has a shade of chestnut, just under its tail. There are different species of catbirds found in various parts of the world.
Doves
Doves are smaller than pigeons and have a longer tail in appearance. Doves are found throughout the world and these birds are also a symbol of peace. They feed on fruits, plants and seeds to survive.
There are many other beautiful and attractive birds which can be seen in nature. Birds would prefer to have their own freedom rather than be trapped in a cage, so if you think you can have it as a pet, you need to think again.
1.What can be inferred about avocets?
A.They are rarely seen in Asia. B.They are about 6.5 inches in length.
C.They have a shade of chestnut. D.They are a symbol of romance and peace.
2.Which birds can learn the speech of other birds?
A.Avocets. B.Eastern bluebirds.
C.Catbirds. D.Doves.
3.Where is the text probably taken from?
A.A sports newspaper. B.A poster.
C.A travel guide. D.A science magazine.
