January 16, 2014 –We know the saying“The early bird gets the worm”, but today you’re going to learn about the interesting saying “The early fish gets the bird.”
An African tigerfish(老虎鱼) was seen jumping out of the air and catching a flying bird. The African tigerfish has bright red fins and very sharp teeth. There have been rumors(传闻) this kind of fish preys on(捕食) birds since the 1940s, but no one was able to catch one.
"The whole action of jumping and catching happens so quickly that after we saw it, it took all of us a moment to really understand what we had just seen," said Nico Smit from Environmental Sciences and Management at North-West University.
Smit and his research team saw it at a lake in the Mapungubwe National Park in South Africa during summer. They found about 20 fish feeding on birds in the morning. Those birds may be out early to look for food, but we will never know for sure!
1.The tigherfish ___________.
A. is from the USAB. has bright black fins
C. has very sharp teethD. was seen in a forest
2.The underlined word “one” in Paragraph 2 means _______.
A.a tigerB. a fishC. a birdD. a person
3.Which of the following is true according to the passage?
A. Nobody has heard of the rumors about the tigerfish before.
B. It took Smit a moment to understand what he had seen about the fish.
C. The interesting findings happened in a lake in the afternoon.
D. The birds were caught by the tigerfish because they were out too early for food.
4.Where is the passage likely to be read?
A. In a poster.B. In a tour guide.
C. In a newspaper.D. In a story book.
5. Which is the best title for the passage?
A. The early fish gets the bird.B. Nico Smit and an African tigerfish.
C. Nico Smit and his research team.D. The Mapungubwe National Park
Each morning a rich man found a poor man sitting on a bench(长凳) in the park. The poor man always sat there, looking at the big hotel in which the rich man lived. One day, the rich man got out of his car and said to the poor man,“Excuse me. I want to know why you sit here and look at my hotel every morning.”“Sir,”said the poor man,“I am a failure. I have no money , no family, no home. I sleep on this bench, and every night I dream that one day I’ll sleep in that hotel.”The rich man said ,“ Tonight your dream will come true. I’ll pay for the best room in that hotel for you a whole month.”
A few days after, the rich man went into the poor man’s room to ask him how he was enjoying himself. To his surprise, he found that the man had moved out of the hotel back to his bench. When the rich man asked why, he said,“You see, when I’m sleeping on my bench, I dreamed I am there, in the big hotel. It’s a wonderful dream. But when I was there I dreamed I was back to this cold bench. It was a terrible dream, and I couldn’t get any sleep at all.”
1.The poor man lived in ____ before he met the rich man.
A. the hotel B. his home
C. the park D. the car
2.Every morning, the poor man sat on the bench and____.
A. waited for the rich man B. looked at the rich man’s hotel
C.looked at the rich man’s car D. enjoyed the clean car
3.Every night the poor man dreamed of ______.
A. sleeping in a hotel B. becoming rich
C. owning that hotel D. being the rich man’s friend
4.The poor man moved out of the hotel because____.
A. he didn’t want to live in such a fine room
B. he didn’t like the rich man
C. he couldn’t pay for the room
D. he couldn’t get any sleep at all there
5.In the end, the poor man found it _________to sleep in the hotel.
A. sorry B. nice
C. wonderful D. terrible
What can you do in two minutes? Cyrus Siu, 12, made a great speech in English and the hearts of everyone.
Siu studies at Singapore International School in Hong Kong. He the Junior high category (初中组) of the 11th “21st Century Cup” National High School and Primary School English Speaking Competition in Xiamen, Fujian on March 22.
His speaking skills and good English won him the top .
Siu said his first secret to success was many English books. He has read all the seven Harry Potter books, each four to five times. Now he is reading Steve Jobs: A Biography(《乔布斯传》)
“These books may be for my age, but reading helps me to learn new words,” he said.
Siu likes English-speaking movies. Super hero movies, Iron Man(《钢铁侠》) and The Avengers(《复仇者联盟》), are his favorite.
“Every boy has the dream of becoming a super hero one day. Sometimes I imagine
to be one of the heroes and shout out the English lines(台词). It’s good to combine(结合) your with learning English.
It’s also important to an English-speaking environment for yourself. Siu talks to his classmates and teachers in English all day long at school. his parents talk to him in Cantonese(粤语) at home, he still tries to answer in English.
“There is no shortcut(捷径) to studying English. Just practice, practice and practice!”Siu said.
1.A. won B. lost C. brokeD. made
2.A. dropped out of B. worried about C. gave up D. took part in
3.A. shape B. price C. prize D. work
4.A. selling B. making C. losing D. reading
5.A.interesting B. difficult C. helpful D. easy
6.A. such as B. instead of C. because of D. above all
7.A.herself B. myself C. ourselvesD. itself
8.A.answers B. questions C. interests D. problems
9.A. buy B. build C. invite D. publish
10.A.Before B. Though C. SinceD. Because
—What time will Mr Brown be back to China?
—Sorry. I don’t know ______.
A. when did he go abroad B. why he is going abroad
C. how soon will he be back D. how long he is going to be there
—You have seen the film Rush Hour, haven’t you?
—______________. How I wish to see it again!
A. No, what a pity B. No, I haven’t
C. Yes, I like it D. Yes, it’s boring
—May I borrow this dictionary ? —Sorry. This is not _____. It’s Lily’s .
A. my B. mine C. her D. yours
