Mickey was a nice, cheerful, optimistic boy. No one could remember ever having seen him ______; it seemed he didn’t ______ whatever people said to him. Even his teachers admired his good ______. It was so unusual that a story was going around that Mickey’s ______ must be due to some special secret. They asked Mickey so much that he ______ his favorite teacher, Mr. Anthony, to tea one afternoon. When they had finished, Mickey ______ Mr. Anthony around the house. When Mickey opened his bedroom door, the teacher ______. The huge wall was a unique collage (拼贴画) of thousands of colors and shapes! It was the loveliest decoration Mr. Anthony had ever ______.
“Some people at school think that I ______ think badly of anyone,” Mickey started to explain, “and that ______ at all bothers me, but that’s not true at all. I’m just like anyone else. I used to get angrier than all the other kids.______ years ago, with the help of my parents, I started a small collage. With every little piece I stuck on I added some bad thought or act.”
It was ______. The teacher looked closely at die wall. In each one of the small ______ he could read “fool”, “silly”, “idiot”, “pain”, and a thousand other ______ things.
“This is how I started ______ all my bad times into an opportunity to ______ to my collage. Now I like the collage so much that, each lime someone makes me angry, I couldn’t be ______. They’ve given me a new piece for my work of ______.”
That day, the teacher was impressed by Mickey’s ______ to have an optimistic character. Without telling anyone, Mr. Anthony ______ his own collage and he would often recommend it to his students.
1.A. lonely B. angry C. calm D. excited
2.A. accept B. understand C. mind D. forget
3.A. decision B. character C. dream D. method
4.A. goodness B. cleverness C. worry D. anxiety
5.A. helped B. introduced C. followed D. invited
6.A. drove B. promised C. showed D. moved
7.A. appeared B. relaxed C. escaped D. froze
8.A. seen B. want C. made D. required
9.A. often B. never C. almost D. ever
10.A. anything B. something C. nothing D. everything
11.A. But B. As C. Though D. Because
12.A. crazy B. reasonable C. difficult D. true
13.A. walls B. books C. pieces D. boxes
14.A. strange B. negative C. small D. clever
15.A. throwing B. turning C. packing D. cutting
16.A. get B. belong C. lead D. add
17.A. happier B. quicker C. more friendly D. more careful
18.A. movie B. literature C. art D. science
19.A. practice B. advice C. suggestion D. secret
20.A. began B. left C. bought D. missed
七选五。根据短文内容，从短文后的选项中选出能填入空白处的最佳选项。选项中有两项为多余选项。
We often carry a lot of things when we’re traveling.1.On long ones we carry things like passports, visas, etc. Though traveling can be fun, we’re likely to misplace these things and even lose them because of the excitement of the journey or being too busy or tired. So how can we carry valuable things safely while traveling?2.Place most of it in a wallet and put the wallet in your main suitcase or bag with a lock-and-key system. Don’t open it until you reach your destination (目的地). Guess how much money you’ll need on the journey, and place this money in a different wallet and carry this in your pocket.3.Next, instead of wearing your jewelry, you can carry your jewelry at the bottom of your suitcase or bag.4.Many people think that since the purse is always going to be in their hands, it’ll remain safe. But other things like tickets, phone numbers, keys, etc., are all going to go in there. So you’re often going to open your purse for something or the other. What if you just drop it?Then remember to hook (钩住) the keys. You get those really nice key chains these days that come with a big dog-hook.5.Use one of these to carry your keys. This way, you won’t leave the keys in a restaurant or any other place.Hope all the above tips for traveling will help you.
A.So you’ll know what to bring.
B.It’s a kind of vacation, but without your parents.
C.Spend money from this wallet till you get to your destination.
D.Firstly, distribute (分开) your money if you’re traveling alone.
E.You can hook the key chain to your jeans or your handbag.
F.On short trips we take things like money, jewelry (首饰), house keys, etc.
G.Don’t carry it in your purse, just in case somebody is quick in stealing your purse.
From the loss of wildlife to rising sea levels, we’re all well aware of the problems that climate change could cause.
But while it may seem like such issues won’t affect most of us directly, it looks like future generations could grow up without something that many of us now take for granted: chocolate.
According to an essay published by the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, changes to the climate in the regions that produce cacao – the plant from which chocolate is produced – may mean that it will soon become extinct.
Most of the world’s cacao grows in countries close to the equator(赤道), with over half of it growing in the African nations of Ghana and Ivory Coast.
It’s predicted that by 2050, climate change will have accelerated the rate at which temperatures in these countries rise, making it extremely difficult for cacao to grow there.
The problem doesn’t lie in increased heat, however, but in lower humidity (湿度), as it’s believed that rainfall will stay at the same level if the temperature rises.
“In other words, as higher temperatures squeeze more water out of soil and plants, it’s unlikely that rainfall will increase enough to offset the moisture(水分) loss,” Michon Scott, the essay’s author, wrote.
To help fight this problem, researchers from Berkeley University in the US are working on changing the DNA of cacao plants to allow them to survive in dryer conditions by using geneediting technology, according to US News.
In the meantime, US company Mars, one of the world’s biggest manufacturers of chocolate products, announced in January that it would spend $1 billion (6.33 billion yuan) to help reduce the effects of climate change.
“This is a world issue, and it requires everyone to work together,” Mars spokesperson Barry Parkin told Business Insider.
The message here is that if we all do our part, we may be able to prevent some of the worst impacts of climate change. Or if we’re unlucky, chocolate will become a thing of the past.
1.What could make it hard for cacao to grow around the equator in the future?
A.the higher temperatures there
B.the higher humidity there
C.the increase in rainfall there
D.the moisture loss in the soil there
2.What did Barry Parkin suggest?
A.No man is an island.
B.Every little bit counts.
C.United we stand; divided we fall.
D.Wish for the best; prepare for the worst.
3.What can we learn from the passage?
A.UC Berkeley is trying to find a substitute for cacao.
B.Cacao can only be found in most African countries.
C.Climate changes can be controlled if we are lucky.
D.Mars will financially support the fight against climate changes.
4.What is the passage mainly about?
A.The origin of chocolate.
B.The future of chocolate.
C.The history of chocolate.
D.The ingredients of chocolate.
Porridge doesn't have a very tasty name, does it? It doesn't have a very tasty reputation, either. I'm here to try and convince you that porridge isn’t boring and tasteless, that it can be a delicious, convenient and very healthy way to start the day.
If you’ve never eaten it (although you probably have), porridge is a type of food served for breakfast. It is usually a type of grain, like rice or oat (燕麦), mixed with either milk or water, and often heated up. It is often thicker than liquid, but not solid and is very easy to digest, so it's a better option for people who are ill, and it provides long-lasting energy for the day.
Porridge preparation--the amount of ingredients (配料) and cooking time—depends on what you choose to use as your porridge base. If I'm cooking for myself, I put a very big handful of ‘rolled’ oats in a saucepan, add a little bit of water and about 200ml of milk, and let the mixture boil. I stir the porridge constantly, and it takes about five to ten minutes to cook.
Once it's cooked, the fun part is adding the flavors. Porridge alone doesn't have a very strong flavour. Although some people think this makes porridge boring, I think this is what makes porridge exciting! It is like a blank piece of paper—you can add almost anything you want to the porridge base. Greens, nuts and dried fruits are very healthy options to add and can give you energy for the day. But if you don't like these, or you're allergic, then honey and chocolate are also very tasty options. (Just don’t add to much!)
One of the best things about porridge? You can make it almost anywhere in the world. Either oats or rice or both are “staple foods (主食)” for many people across the world. You can usually buy big bags of either, then add local ingredients to make your porridge interesting—whatever is cheap and convenient to find, wherever you are. I am currently in Mexico, and I love to heat my oats up with milk, then mix in peanuts and pumpkin seeds and cacao nibs, and I put a layer of sugar over the top to make my porridge sweeter.
Porridge? Hopefully it sounds a lot tastier now!
1.What is the purpose of the text?
A.To give brief introduction to various porridge.
B.To show how to prepare porridge for the patient.
C.To warn us not to have porridge for breakfast.
D.To introduce the benefits of porridge.
2.Which of the following statements is TRUE?
A.Porridge is often thicker, liquid and solid.
B.Porridge alone has a very strong flavor.
C.Porridge is to many people's liking.
D.Porridge is only served for breakfast.
3.According to the author, what is the best thing about porridge?
A.It provides long-lasting energy for the day.
B.It is cheap and convenient to make.
C.It's a better option for people.
D.It is never boring and tasteless.
4.What's the author's favourite flavor?
A.Porridge with Sugar. B.Porridge with oats.
C.Porridge with fruit. D.Porridge with milk.
My friend, Monty Roberts owns a horse ranch (养马场). The last time I was there he introduced me a story like this: There was a young man who was the son of a horse trainer, who would go from stable (马厩) to stable, race track to race track, farm to farm and ranch to ranch, training horses. So the boy's school career was continually interrupted. When he was a senior, he was asked to write a paper about what he wanted to be and do when he grew up.
That night he wrote a seven-page paper describing his goal of someday owning a horse ranch. He wrote about his dream in great detail and he even drew a diagram of a 200-acre ranch, showing the location of all the buildings, the stables and the track. He also drew a detailed floor plan for a 4,000-square-foot house that would sit on a 200-acre dream ranch. He put a great deal of his heart into the project and the next day he handed it in to his teacher. Two days later he received his paper back. On the front page was a large red F with a note that read, “See me after class.”
The boy with the dream went to see the teacher after class and asked why he received an F. The teacher said, "This is an unrealistic dream for a young boy like you. You have no money. You have no resources. Owning a horse ranch requires a lot of money. You have to buy the land. There's no way you could ever do it... If you will rewrite this paper with a more realistic goal, I will reconsider your grade.”
The boy went home and thought about it long and haul. He asked his father what he should do. His father said, "Look, son, you have to make up your own mind on this. However, I think it is a very important decision for you.” Finally, after a week, the boy turned in the same paper, making no changes at all. He stated, “You can keep the F and I'll keep my dream."
Monty then turned to me and said, "I tell you this story because you are sitting in my 4, 000-square-foot house in the middle of my 200-acre horse ranch. I still have that school paper framed over the fireplace.” He added, "The best part of the story is that two years ago that same schoolteacher brought 30 kids to camp out on my ranch for a week. When the teacher was leaving, he said, “Look, Monty, when I was your teacher, I was something of a dream stealer. During those years I stole a lot of kids’ dreams. Fortunately you had enough ambition not to give up on yours.”
1.Why was Monty’s schooling continually interrupted?
A.Because he didn’t like his teacher.
B.Because he had to do much housework.
C.Because he refused to go to school sometimes.
D.Because his father always changed his working place.
2.How did the father deal with his son’s problem?
A.He did not pay attention to it.
B.He punished his son for the large red F.
C.He encouraged his son to make his own decision.
D.He scolded his son for the ridiculous plan.
3.What can we infer from the teacher's remarks in the last paragraph?
A.Skill comes by exercise.
B.Everybody's good at something.
C.It's great to have dreams.
D.Where there is a will, there is a way.
4.What's the best title for the text?
A.A boy having no changes B.A boy following his heart
C.A boy holding on to his dream D.A boy owning a horse ranch
Want a book? Head to a Rocket Ship in Boulder, Colorado, United States, a cottage (小屋) near Ghen, Belgium, or a tree in Coeurd’ Alene, Idaho, United States. These are just three of the more than 80,000 Little Free Libraries in more than 90 countries. Unlike traditional libraries, these small structures aren't buildings where people check out books from a librarian.
“A Little Free Library is a box full of books from which, when you find one, you can take a book home with you,” explains Margret Aldrich, Little Free Library spokes-woman. “Or if you have a book to share, you can leave it for someone else to read.”
Little Free Libraries are everywhere: outside homes or beside coffee shops.
The first was set on a post in front of Todd Bol’s home in Hudson, Wisconsin, United States. The little schoolhouse Bol built held free books anyone could enjoy.
It became a local hit.
A year after setting up his library, Bol and Rick Brooks, a friend and business partner, launched Little Free Library as a nonprofit organization in 2012. Their goal was to make books more widely available while building connections within communities.
They inspired a book-sharing revolution.
Little Free Libraries began to spread all over the place-from Salvador, Brazil, to Grand Marais, Minnesota, United States.
Today, those who want to build one can get free instructions from the Little Free Library website.
“There weren't many public places like libraries where I live” says 10-year-old Umayr Ansari, who put a Little Free Library outside his home in Doha, Qatar. “I had a lot of extra books, and I wanted to share them so people who didn't have their own books could have a chance to read.”
“I liked to build the libraries and get the feeling of, ‘Wow I helped make that,’” says 11-year-old Ava Jelliek, “That gave me confidence.”
1.Where was the first Little Free Library set up?
A.In Wisconsin, United States. B.In Salvador, Brazil.
C.In Ghen, Belgium. D.In Doha,Qatar.
2.What does the underlined word “it” refer to?
A.The first free library. B.Todd Bol's home.
C.A nearby coffee shop. D.A cottage near Ghen.
3.What can we learn about Umayr Ansari and Ava Jelliek's opinion?
A.They are happy to have their own libraries.
B.It’s good to make money by building a Little Free Library.
C.They are eager to build connections with friends.
D.It's a pleasure to help people read books easily.
