I’d been at Camp Eggleton for only two days before I got my nickname(绰号) ,Screaming Toad(尖叫的蛤蟆).
When we were on our first nature walk, a tree frog dropped onto my shirt from the branches above. I screamed. I didn't even know I could make a sound like that. Most kids laughed it off and forgot about it. But Stan wouldn’t let it go.
Three days later, Mr. Matt told us we would play a game. The two-person team to find the most treasures hidden in the woods gets something cold. Thoughts of ice cream froze on our brains.
Mr. Matt started reading off pairs of names. My nerves(神经) got completely fried when he said, “And finally, Jay and Stan.”
“If the mosquitoes(蚊子) are biting you, just ask Screaming Toad to eat them for you.” Stan called to the group. One kid laughed, but most of them were already concentrating on looking for treasures.
Then I had an idea,“You know, Stan, if we split up, we’ll have a better chance of finding stuff.” Stan shrugged (耸肩)and walked down the path alone.
Ten minutes later, I heard something that reminded me of myself a few days ago. I ran toward the sound. Stan was jumping around like a monkey, screaming and yelling: “Ants! Ants!”
I led him into a mud puddle(泥坑). He was surprised at first, then he must have realized why I was doing it. The itch(痒) was going away and so were the ants.
“I guess you’re going to have a pretty good story for everyone later.”Stan said worriedly.
“Yeah, I guess so. You’ll probably be known as Dancing Ant from now on.”
That night, we all sat around the campfire. I could see Stan’s worry as clear as daylight. He was waiting for it. But I never said anything. I knew how it felt to be laughed at.
The next day was Game Day. When I was picked for a basketball team, someone called, “No fair! Screaming Toad’s a natural Jumper!”
Stan yelled out, “Knock it off. His name is Jay.”
1.Why did Joy get his nicknames？
A.He signed up for Camp Eggleton.
B.He shouted loudly when the frog fell on his clothes.
C.Stan gave him the nicknames because of his bravery.
D.The other boys thought it cool to be called like that.
2.Which word can replace the underlined phrase “split up” in Paragraph 6?
A.United. B.Separated.
C.Apologised. D.Shared.
3.Why did Jay bring Stan to the mud puddle?
A.To make Stan calm down. B.To give him a chance to say sorry.
C.To drive away the ants and the itch. D.To prevent Stan from hurting himself.
4.What can we learn from the story?
A.Actions speak louder than words.
B.Everyone’s efforts are very important.
C.A good beginning makes a good ending.
D.Don’t do to others what you don’t want done to yourself.
This year I tried to pick a few more things that are on the lighter side. Each of these books made me think or laugh or, in some cases, do both. I hope you find something to your liking here.
If you want to buy some, please contact me as you like.
Telephone number: 010-8568758
E-mail: favouritebook@163.com
Hyperbole and a Half, by Allie Brosh.
The book, based on Brosh’s wildly popular website, contains simple vignettes and comic drawings about her young life. The adventures she describes are mostly inside her head, where we hear and see her deep thoughts most of us are too shy to let out in public.
You will finish reading it in three hours, tops. But you’ll wish it went on longer, because it’s so funny and smart.
The Magic of Reality, by Richard Dawkins.
Dawkins, an evolutionary biologist at Oxford, has a gift for making science enjoyable. This book is as accessible as the TV series Cosmos is for younger audiences—and as relevant for older audiences. It’s an interesting, well-illustrated(图文并茂) science textbook offering attractive answers to big questions, like “How did the universe form?” and “What causes earthquakes?”
What If ? ,by Randall Munroe.
The subtitle of the book is “Serious Scientific Answers to Absurd Hypothetical Questions,” and that’s exactly what it is. People write Munroe with questions that cover all fields of science: physics, chemistry, biology, etc.
Munroe’s explanations are funny, but the science supporting his answers is very accurate(精确的). It’s an entertaining read, and you’ll also learn a bit about things like ballistics, DNA, the oceans, and the atmosphere.
1.What does the writer think of Brosh’s book?
A.Interesting. B.Strange.
C.Priceless. D.Boring.
2.What is Dawkins good at as an evolutionary biologist at Oxford?
A.Making TV series. B.Drawing pictures.
C.Answering big questions. D.Making science attractive.
3.What kind of questions do people mainly like to ask Randall Munroe?
A.Funny questions in daily life. B.Scientific questions.
C.Serious entertaining questions. D.Questions hard to answer.
阅读下面短文，根据所给情节进行续写，使之构成一个完整的故事。
I'd just returned from the local hospital where I'd held my first grandchild in my arms for the first time. What a beautiful child! She was named after her grandmother, Betsy. How I wished that my wife were here to see the healthy baby of Grace, our only daughter.
I knew what Betsy would have wanted and expected me to do on this grand occasion of the birth of our granddaughter, so I beaded for her favorite department store to select as a gift for our daughter. Shopping here would cause me to feel that Betsy was still with me and could share the joy of the birth of her first granddaughter.
There was a clerk, an attractive middle-aged woman with her name tag “JOY”. Her fingers lingered over a pair of diamond earrings. “How about these?” she said to an elderly man. He held them up. “oh yes, these are very pretty,” he said. He then turned to me, “What do you think? Would these be a good anniversary gift for my wife?”
“They'll be a wonderful anniversary gift,” I said, and I wondered how many years he and his wife had been married. I thought of all the years Betsy and I had shared. “When your wife wears them, they'll remind her of your love.”
“That's precisely what I want them to do,” he said, smiling.
Joy asked, “What anniversary will this be?” The old man's eyes sparkled as he answered, “You'll never guess.” Joy then said, “Well, diamonds are traditionally given for the sixtieth anniversary.”
“You're wrong,” he said. “It's our first anniversary!” Joy looked as surprised as I felt, as the man said, “I still can't believe my good fortune the second time around, finding someone as wonderful as my wife Helen.”
“Congratulations,” Joy said. “Your wife is lucky to have such a generous husband. The first anniversary is supposed to be a paper gift.”
“Do you think I shouldn’t even could-ask Helen to wait 59 years for her diamonds?”
Joy's eyes opened wide, “oh, I didn't mean.”
1.所续写短文的词数应为150左右；
2.应使用5个以上短文中标有下划线的关键词语；
3.续写部分分为两段，每段的开头语已为你写好；
4.续写完成后，请用下划线标出你所使用的关键词语。
Paragraph 1:
The old man said to Joy, “I hope you young people will remember to live each day with meaning” ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Paragraph 2:
While she wrapped them, I took a deep breath and asked Joy, “Do you have dinner plans?”
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
假定你是某国际学校向日葵美术社（Sunflower Art Society)的成员，请你用英文为美术社的网站写一则纳新启事。内容包括：
1. 成员要求；
2. 社团宗旨；
3.主要活动。
注意：1.词数80左右；
2.可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。
Notice
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
阅读下面材料，在空白处填入适当的内容（1个单词）或括号内单词的正确形式。
A year off-also called a gap year-is not a new concept, but there's now a focus on making the most of this break from academic life. Long gone 1.(be)the days of just hanging out on a beach or backpacking round the world. While that is still an option, a gap year is now 2.(much) about gaining skills that 3.(help)you in later life. The BBC' s Smart Consumer podcast spoke to a student called Meg, 4.said "I just always had in the back of my mind I'd spend a year on something productive and something that would just be good fun. "
Doing something productive is 5.(exact)what students are being encouraged to do because doing more purposeful things like work experience or voluntary work helps them acquire skills to use when competing for 6. place at university. It looks good on their CV and makes them more employable.
While the benefits of taking a gap year are clear 7.(see), some students worry they can't afford it. Another student, Tom, told the BBC that to him, a gap year was an 'alien concept'. He said" it would have been far too expensive 8. it's not something that I would have been able to rely on my parents or family 9.(member)for. "But some experts say that it needn't burn a hole in your pocket; you don't need to travel far and you can even earn money 10.doing paid work.
In 1914, World War I broke out. After hearing about all the men being _______ to fight in bloody battles, Edith decided she must help. So she went to Brussels in Belgium, where her hospital had been _______to a Red Cross hospital to care for war_______
There, she encouraged the nurses to treat _______soldiers that came through their doors, _______which side they were fighting on.
In August 1914, German forces_______ into Belgium and took control of the country. It was at this time that Edith made a decision that would change her fate-she decided to help British, Belgian and French soldiers _______to Holland, a 'neutral(中立的)country ' where they would be _______
Working closely with a_______network of people, she sheltered Allied(同盟国的)soldiers in her hospital________they wove well and then sent them out through a(n) ________ passage. She also helped to ________ them with a bit of money and secret ________for their escape.
________ time, the German police began to suspect Edith, and her colleagues urged her to run away to save herself. Edith refused, and ________ staying and helping Allied soldiers leave Belgium.
But in August 1915, ________struck when a Belgian spy discovered the secret passage ________ the hospital and reported it to the authorities. Edith was arrested and kept in prison. Many people felt she should be treated with ________, given that she had done so much work to help and look after both Allied and German soldiers.
________, their cries went unheard, and following a short ________, Edith was found guilty and shot by a German firing group in Brussels.
1.A.pulled up B.sent off C.settled down D.pushed out
2.A.transported B.turned C.changed D.exposed
3.A.prisoners B.citizens C.fighters D.victims
4.A.any B.only C.most D.same
5.A.in spite of B.regardless of C.for fear of D.according to
6.A.squeezed B.burst C.advanced D.pioneered
7.A.move B.expand C.immigrate D.escape
8.A.safe B.brave C.healthy D.strong
9.A.secret B.general C.famous D.rigid
10.A.after B.if C.until D.since
11.A.underground B.indirect C.constant D.illegal
12.A.comfort B.reward C.provide D.associate
13.A.policemen B.locations C.tools D.passwords
14.A.Over B.In C.On D.At
15.A.insisted on B.agreed on C.depended on D.looked on
16.A.accident B.disaster C.problem D.disorder
17.A.throughout B.beyond C.across D.beneath
18.A.cruelty B.peace C.mercy D.favor
19.A.Quickly B.Sadly C.Normally D.Surely
20.A.trial B.charge C.question D.judgement
