My grandfather was a serious man. A quick look from him was enough to keep my sisters and me in line. _______ every summer I looked forward to seeing Grandpa in his farm. We enjoyed every moment of feeding and washing the animals.
Grandpa was a man who didn’t show his _______ easily. There were times he caught us touching some of his personal things or exploring places that we weren’t _______ to. His quiet scolding (责备) left us _______ for the rest of our stay.
One morning I heard “clickety-clack, clickety-clack, ping”. I stopped and found where the sound came _______: Grandpa in his study, typing a letter. I leaned _________ to see better when I fell through the door. For a while I _______ on the floor of the study. I stood up and went _______in the face, hoping the scolding would be short.
Grandpa’s eyes shone. He called me_________. I went to him __________, with my eyes looking at the floor. He asked what I was doing, and I told him that I was drawn by the __________ of the typewriter. I only wanted to get a better __________. I wasn’t going to touch anything, I __________.
The rest of the summer I stood near his elbow watching him type. How I wished to __________ the beautiful yellow keys with my fingers.
After going home, I spent the year writing poems, letters, and stories in my notebooks and__________ myself using Grandpa’s typewriter to write novels. __________, I planned to be a writer, and writers used typewriters.
The next ____________, I’d hear the sounds of typewriter keys and walk toward them, admiring the __________ of the words forming on the page. I wished he would offer me a(n) ____________ to try it. But he never did.
____________ returning home that year, I got a parcel. I found the typewriter in the box! My serious grandfather！
1.A.So B.Otherwise C.Therefore D.Yet
2.A.spirits B.feelings C.courage D.strength
3.A.afforded B.regarded C.supposed D.intended
4.A.well-dressed B.well-organized C.well-behaved D.well-balanced
5.A.across B.over C.out D.from
6.A.farther B.longer C.higher D.lower
7.A.lie B.lied C.lay D.laid
8.A.red B.green C.black D.gray
9.A.up B.down C.over D.on
10.A.excitedly B.slowly C.quickly D.elegantly
11.A.appearance B.movement C.voice D.sound
12.A.expression B.impression C.performance D.look
13.A.accepted B.promised C.confirmed D.agreed
14.A.touch B.buy C.move D.attack
15.A.reminding B.urging C.imagining D.mentioning
16.A.After all B.As usual C.At least D.Above all
17.A.winter B.day C.summer D.autumn
18.A.advantage B.wonder C.moment D.step
19.A.presentation B.opportunity C.typewriter D.guide
20.A.Over B.In C.At D.On
Lots of people find it hard to get up in the morning, and put the blame on the alarm clock. In fact, the key to easy morning wake-up lies in resetting your body clock.1.Here’s how to make one.
● 2.In order to make a change, you need to decide why it’s important. Do you want to get up in time to have breakfast with your family, get in some exercise, or just be better prepared for your day? Once you are clear about your reasons, tell your family or roommates about the change you want to make.
● Rethink mornings. Now that you know why you want to wake up, consider re-arranging your morning activities. If you want time to have breakfast with your family, save some time the night before by setting out clothes, shoes, and bags. 3. That’s a quarter-hour more you could be sleeping if you bought a coffee maker with a timer.
● Keep your sleep/ wake schedule on weekends. If you’re tired out by Friday night, sleeping in on Saturday could sound wonderful. But compensating (补偿) on the weekends actually feeds into your sleepiness the following week, a recent study found. 4.
● Keep a record and evaluate it weekly. Keep track of your efforts and write down how you feel. After you’ve tried a new method for a week, take a look at your record. 5. If not, take another look at other methods you could try.
A.Get a sleep specialist.
B.Find the night motivation.
C.A better plan for sleep can help.
D.And consider setting a second alarm.
E.If the steps you take are working, keep it up.
F.Stick to your set bedtime and wake-up time, no matter the day.
G.Reconsider the 15 minutes you spend in line at the café to get coffee.
Dogs are a very popular pet in the United States. Most dogs just live with their families, but some dogs have very special jobs to do.
A very special group of dogs are known as “Therapy (治疗) Dogs”. These dogs are family pets with special training. The training allows them to go into public buildings and comfort people in need. The dogs are trained to be calm and quiet. Loud noises and unfamiliar places don’t frighten them. Therapy dogs can improve people’s health as well. Studies show that when people spend time with animals, their blood pressure goes down. They are calmer, and their mood improves.
Some therapy dogs work in schools and libraries. In one town in California, therapy dogs have become children’s reading friends. The dogs belong to a therapy dog group. Eight of these special dogs have been trained to be listening friends for young readers. The library is trying to encourage kids to enjoy reading. The children are invited to meet at the library. They are paired up with a therapy dog and can read to it.
The dogs make a great audience. They don’t judge a child who cannot read well; they just listen quietly. The children can read at their own speed and they find it less nervous than reading in front of their class. The children look forward to reading to the dogs, and the dogs love the attention. The library and the teachers are very happy with the program.
1.Which of the following about therapy dogs is TRUE according to the text?
A.They love to be comforted by people. B.They are trained to frighten strangers.
C.They are quiet and make little noise. D.Their mood improves when they help people.
2.We know that the library mentioned in the text ________.
A.wants to help kids to enjoy reading B.invites kids to meet outdoors
C.trains eight dogs to help kids D.divides kids into groups
3.The dogs in the library can make a great audience because they ________.
A.love spending time with children B.don’t comment on children’s reading
C.don’t mind whether children are reading D.understand children’s feelings
4.Which of the following is the best title for the text?
A.Dogs are popular among American families B.Dogs help children become better readers
C.Dogs work in libraries in California D.Dogs are children’s best friends
Kong Zi, also called Confucius (551-479B. C. ), and Socrates (苏格拉底) (469-399 B. C. ) lived only a hundred years apart, and during their lifetimes there was no contact between China and Greece, but it is interesting to look at how the world that each of these great philosophers came from shaped their ideas, and how these ideas in turn, shaped their societies.
Neither philosopher lived in times of peace, though there were more wars in Greece than in China. The Chinese states were very large and feudal, while the Greek city-states were small and urban. The urban environment in which Socrates lived allowed him to be more radical (激进的) than Confucius. Unlike Confucius, Socrates was not asked by rulers how to govern effectively. Thus, Socrates was able to be more idealistic, focusing on issues like freedom, and knowledge for its own sake. Confucius, on the other hand, advised those in government service, and many of his students went out to government service.
Confucius suggested the Golden Rule as a principle for the conduct of life: “Do not do to others what you would not want others to do to you.” He assumed that all men were equal at birth, though some had more potential than others, and that it was knowledge that set men apart. Socrates focused on the individual, and thought that the greatest purpose of man was to seek wisdom. But like Confucius, he also believed that the superior class should rule the inferior (下层的) classes.
For Socrates, the family was of no importance, and the community of little concern. For Confucius, however, the family was the centre of the society, with family relations considered much more important than political relations.
Both men are respected much more today than they were in their lifetimes.
1.Which of the following is TURE according to the first paragraph?
A.Socrates and Confucius had much in common.
B.Confucius had much influence on Socrates’ ideas.
C.There were cultural exchanges between China and Greece.
D.The societies were influenced by the philosophers’ ideas.
2.Socrates shared with Confucius the idea that ________.
A.all men were equal when they were born
B.the lower class should be ruled by the upper class
C.the purpose of man was to seek freedom and wisdom
D.do not do to others what you would not want others to do to you
3.What made some people different from others according to Confucius?
A.Knowledge. B.Potential. C.Family. D.Community.
4.This passage is organized in the pattern of ________.
A.time and events B.comparison and contrast
C.cause and effect D.definition and classification
Here is a true story about a famous man who worked in the White House and a criminal. They once faced the same thing: their mother gave them apples when they were young.
The criminal said: one day, my mother brought some apples and asked my brother and me: “Which do you want?” “The reddest and biggest one,” my little brother said. My mother stared at him and said to him angrily: “You should learn to give the good things to others; you shouldn’t always think of yourself.” Seeing this, I suddenly changed my idea and then said to my mother, “Mum, please give me the smaller one and give the bigger one to my little brother.” Hearing my words, my mother was very happy. She kissed me on my face and gave the reddest and biggest apple to me as a prize. From them on, I learned to tell lies, fight, steal and rob. In order to get what I wanted, I played hard. As a result, I was sent into prison.
The famous man from the white house said, One day, my mother brought some apples. She said to my brother and me: “You all want the reddest and biggest one, right? Well, let’s have a competition. Now I divided the grassland in front of the gate into two and I will give one to each of you and you must shear(修剪) it well. And I will give the reddest and biggest apple to him who does it the most quickly and best.”
After the competition, I won and I got the biggest apple. In our family, as long as you want to get the best things, you must take part in competition. I think it is fair. No matter what you want, you must pay lots of efforts.
1.The criminal got the reddest and biggest apple because______.
A.he knew how to make his mother happy from her answer
B.he told the truth that he wanted a smaller one
C.elder brother should of course have the bigger one
D.his mother loved him more than she loved the younger brother
2.We can conclude from the passage that _______.
A.it’s wrong to ask children to choose apples when they are not old enough.
B.it’s wrong to ask children not to always think of themselves.
C.it’s important to make children aware that no matter what they want, they must pay work
D.it’s always necessary to have a competition when we give children apple.
3.The writer tells the story by _______.
A.organizing it in the order of time.
B.describing it in the order of space
C.providing some scientific information
D.making a comparison between two men
4.It is implied in the passage that _______.
A.a mother’s educational method has a great influence on a child’s growing.
B.in order to get what we want, we should play hard.
C.we should always try to win competitions which can bring us a lot.
D.giving children apples will lead them to become criminals.
Volunteering abroad is a great way to help others，improve your skills and become a more confident，independent person. If you are interested in volunteering abroad，here are some places to go.
Australia
If you seek a life on the beach，in a great climate with friendly people，Australia might be your best bet. With thousands of volunteers already signing up to leave for Australia during the holidays，it will be a very popular option.
Brazil
This vast country has some great opportunities on offer and is especially popular this year. A lot of volunteer work is available in Brazil centers on conservation and ecological projects. With the world's largest rainforest in Brazil，of which huge part is in danger，there are lots of different jobs you can do.
Kenya
Kenya is the destination for those seeking an African experience. Generally volunteers in Kenya work in orphanages (孤儿院) or with local children living in slums. There is a great demand for volunteers in Africa because many people live in poverty，so if you truly feel like making a difference to a community，Kenya should be at the top of your list.
Costa Rica
Golden sandy beaches，clear coastlines and beautiful cities are what Costa Rica is all about. Because of its small size，you can see a lot of the country in just a short time. You can really make the most of your time as a volunteer. A lot of work is needed with wildlife and ecological work，so if you want to look after turtles on the beach，Costa Rica could be just the place for you.
1.If you are interested in protecting the environment，you will probably go to .
A.Australia B.Brazil C.Kenya D.Costa Rica
2.It can be inferred from the passage that volunteers in Kenya mainly work with .
A.animals B.plants C.the elderly D.children
3.If you choose to go to Costa Rica，you are supposed to .
A.take care of trees in the forests B.surf with children in the water
C.work with animals on the beach D.look after children who have lost their parents
