Poet William Stafford once said that we are defined more by the detours (绕行路) in life than by the narrow road toward goals. I like this image. But it was quite by accident that I discovered the deep meaning of his words.
For years we made the long drive from our home in Seattle to my parents' home in Boise in nine hours. We traveled the way most people do: the fastest, shortest easiest road, especially when I was alone with four noisy, restless kids who hates confinement (限制) and have strong opinions about everything.
Road trips felt risky, so I would drive fast, stopping only when I had to. We would stick to the freeways and arrive tired.
But then Banner, our lamb was born. He was rejected by his mama days before our planned trip to Boise. I had two choices: leave Banner with my husband, or take him with me. My husband made the decision for me.
That is how I found myself on the road with four kids, a baby lamb and nothing but my everlasting optimism to see me through. We took the country roads out of necessity. We had to stop every hour, let Banner shake out his legs and feed him. The kids chased him and one another. They'd get back in the car breathless and energized, smelling fresh from the cold air.
We explored side roads, catching grasshoppers in waist-high grass. Even if we simply looked out of the car windows at baby pigs following their mother, or fish leaping out of the water, it was better than the best ride down the freeway. Here was life. And new horizons.
We eventually arrived at my parents' doorstep astonishingly fresh and full of stories.
I grew brave with the trip back home and creative with my disciplining technique. On an empty section of road, everyone started quarreling. I stopped the car, ordered all kids out and told them to meet me up ahead. I parked my car half a mile away and read my book in sweet silence.
Some road trips are by necessity fast and straight. But that trip with Banner opened our eyes to a world available to anyone adventurous enough to wander around and made me realize that a detour may uncover the best part of a journey-and the best part of yourself.
1.Why did the author use to take freeways to her parents' home?
A.It was less tiring.
B.It would be faster and safer.
C.Her kids would feel less confined.
D.She felt better with other drivers nearby.
2.What does the author discover from the trip according to Paragraph 6?
A.Freeways are where beauty hides.
B.Getting close to nature adds to the joy of life
C.Enjoying the beauty of nature benefits one's health
D.One should follow side roads to watch wild animals
3.Why did the author ask the kids to get out of the car on their way back home?
A.To give herself some time to read.
B.To order some food for them.
C.To play a game with them.
D.To let them cool down.
4.What could be the best title for the passage?
A.Charm of the Detour
B.The Road to Bravery
C.Creativity out of Necessity
D.Road trip and Country Life
Pastime is a bi-monthly magazine for curious young minds. Many of the topics we write about won’t be covered in the classroom. All the articles are written in a lively style, and each one is paired with drawings by some of the country’s most talented artists.
♦ History focuses on archaeological (考古的) sites around the world where archaeologists work to unearth important finds.
♦ World includes stories about daily life, folk tales, and history and traditions of the people and places.
♦ Sport includes nutrition tips, information about up-and-coming young athletes, and sports events.
♦ Art stimulates a child’s cultural life, from film to theatre through to writing and music.
On top of all that, Pastime is packed with items to stimulate a youngster’s imagination, including pages of puzzles and a step-by-step guide to creating their own impressive-looking drawings.
In every issue, we review the latest books top authors write for youngsters. There are also short works of fiction written especially for Pastime by some of our best writers.
We know that children at this age are dealing with many emotions and sometimes difficult feelings, so we have a personal advice page to reply to questions dealing with personal and moral problems.
Unlike many of today’s throwaway comics, Pastime is written and designed to be kept and treasured. We know children love going online — but we also know how much they enjoy holding a printed magazine in their hands, and the excitement they get when each new issue drops through the letterbox personally addressed to them.
Subscription
Pastime is published six times a year. An annual subscription costs just £20 and makes a great gift for any child aged eight to twelve.
To order by phone: Dial 1-800-821-0156 and use Offer Code WEBSAVE86 for print-only subscriptions.
You can cancel at any time for magazines that haven’t shipped yet.
1.If a reader is interested in festivals, he can read ______.
A. History
B. World
C. Sport
D. Art
2.What does the magazine provide?
A. Photos of talented artists.
B. Stories created by children.
C. Suggestions on readers’ problems.
D. Book reviews written by students.
3.For subscription, one needs to know that the magazine ______.
A. offers electronic copies
B. costs £20 for each copy
C. is for kindergarten children
D. is published every two months
完形填空
阅读下面短文，掌握其大意，然后从1--20各题所给的四个选项（A、B、C和D）中，选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
I often read of incidents of misunderstanding or conflict. I’m left _______. Why do these people create mistrust and problems, especially with those from other _______?
I was growing up in Kuala Lumpur in the early 1960s, _______ children from different races and religions played and studied _______ in harmony. At that time my family lived a stone’s ________from Ismail’s. And no one was bothered that Ismail was a Malay Muslim and I was an Indian Hindu—we just _______ our differences. Perhaps, our elders had not filled our heads with unnecessary advice, well _______ or otherwise.
We were nine when we became friends. During the school holidays, we’d _______ the countryside on our bicycles, hoping to _______ the unexpected. At times Ismail would accompany my family as we made a rare shopping trip to town. We would be glad of his ________.
When I was twelve, my family moved to Johor. Ismail’s family later returned to their village, and I ________ touch with him.
One spring afternoon in 1983, I stopped a taxi in Kuala Lumpur. I ________ my destination. The driver acknowledged my ________ but did not move off. Instead, he looked ________ at me. “Raddar?” he said, using my childhood nickname(绰号). I was astonished at being so _________addressed(称呼). Unexpectedly! It was Ismail! Even after two ________ we still recognized each other. Grasping his shoulder, I felt a true affection, something ________ to describe.
If we can allow our children to be ________ without prejudice, they’ll build friendships with people, regardless of race or religion, who will be ________ their side through thick and thin. On such friendships are societies build and ________ we can truly be, as William Shakespeare once wrote, “we happy few, we band of brothers”.
1.A.interested B.pleased C.puzzled D.excited
2.A.parties B.cities C.villages D.races
3.A.why B.which C.how D.when
4.A.together B.around C.alone D.apart
5.A.drop B.throw C.move D.roll
6.A.refused B.made C.sought D.accepted
7.A.paid B.meant C.preserved D.treated
8.A.explore B.search C.discover D.desert
9.A.get through B.deal with C.come across D.take away
10.A.arrival B.choice C.effort D.company
11.A.lost B.gained C.developed D.missed
12.A.stated B.ordered C.decided D.chose
13.A.attempts B.instructions C.opinions D.arrangements
14.A.anxiously B.carelessly C.disappointedly D.fixedly
15.A.familiarly B.strangely C.fully D.coldly
16.A.departures B.months C.years D.decades
17.A.possible B.funny C.hard D.clear
18.A.them B.themselves C.us D.ourselves
19.A.from B.by C.with D.against
20.A.still B.otherwise C.then D.instead
单项填空
1.－What's wrong with Jack? He is absent today.
－Oh, he is in the hospital. He _________ (ride) really fast when unexpectedly a car appeared and he had no time to avoid it.
2.You will never gain success _________ you are fully devoted to your work.
3.In English class, our teacher often creates an environment _________ we are given the opportunity to solve problems ourselves.
4.If Julia had practised hard enough last night, she _________ (be) more confident on the stage now.
5.They have leading experts in this field, and that's _________ they've made important progress.
6.Stand over there, _________ you'll be able to see the oil painting better.
7.－ Is the project difficult for the students?
－ No. Most of the relevant information _________ (provide) for them.
8.As is often the case, he tends to forget all about eating and sleeping, especially when deeply _________ (absorb) in work.
9.Jane is in a hurry because the train to the airport leaves _________ half an hour.
10.The airport _________ (complete) next year will help promote tourism in this area.
假如你是星光中学的李华，请根据以下内容提示给某英文报社写一封信，发表自己对交通事故频繁发生的看法。
内容提示：
1. 常见的违反交通规则的现象；
2. 产生这些现象的原因及自己的看法；
3. 呼吁人们自觉遵守交通规则重视交通安全。
注意：1. 词数：120词左右；
2. 文章的开头和结尾已给出，不计入总词数；
3. 可适当增加细节，以使内容完整充实，行文连贯。
参考词汇：自觉地consciously
Dear editor,
I’m Li Hua from Xingguang Middle School.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Yours sincerely,
Li Hua
阅读下列短文，根据所读内容在文章后的表格中填入恰当的单词。注意：表格中的每个空格只填1个单词。
Of all the emotions (情感) that flow through your head when you go back to college, shyness to be one of the biggest emotions present. Shyness and fear can stop you from becoming the active learner that you wish to be. You may be too shy to volunteer to lead a group or too filled with fear to raise your hand when you know the answer to a question. Here are some things you should pay attention to.
Don’t let your mind go elsewhere. You cannot be an active learner if you don’t know what’s going on in your class. There will always be a student or two that can disturb your focus because they are talking while a lesson is going on or their phone is going off constantly. Don’t let this trouble you.
Your voice matters. During class discussions it’s important to become active in the group conversations. Ask questions when proper, but not if they are unnecessary. For example, don’t ask a question that you know the answer to or can find the answer to easily just to become involved (参与) in a group discussion. Answer questions if you can. Try not to guess at the answers. If you get it wrong, you will feel embarrassed. If you feel embarrassed, you will be less likely to keep contributing. Stay involved with the discussion and voice your opinion on a debate.
Don’t just do the least. Check your curriculum and see what’s on it for your next class. Do some extra research that is not required to prepare yourself for possible discussions. Having extra input (输入) that was not in the text book will impress your tutor and your classmates.
Remember that if you are a shy person, it is going to be harder for you to become an active learner in class, but you determine your own level of involvement in your education. You are in charge of how much you learn and when you learn it.
Title | How to be an active1. |
Problem | If you are2.and fearful, you can’t be an active learner. |
3. | ◆Pay4.while a lesson is going on. ◆Take part in group discussions5.. Don’t ask too easy questions or6.answers to questions. ◆Prepare yourself for possible discussions8.of time. |
9. | Whether you can be an active learner10.on yourself, not others. |
