Bananas don’t grow on trees. They grow on a stalk that looks just a little like a stalk of corn. The stalk is soft enough to be cut with a knife.
It takes about a year before bananas are ready to be picked. Some are as small as fingers. Others are as long as men’s arms. Some banana plants grow as tall as a house – even taller!
Not all bananas are eaten as fruit. Some never get sweet, and they are cooked as a kind of vegetable.
People in most countries never see a banana until it reaches the store. But if you visited a country where it’s hot and rains a lot all the year, you might see a banana plantation, a large farm where bananas grow.
The tasty fruit doesn’t come from a seed but from a root planted deep in the ground. First a stalk pushes up into the air. The leaves grow. In the beginning the banana plant grows very fast – sometimes as much as the length of your feet in one night. Soon, sweet-smelling flowers come out, and when their flowers drop off, bananas begin to grow.
As they get bigger, bananas start turning up. It looks as if they’re growing upside down! Bananas are ready to eat when they turn soft and yellow. Bananas are picked long before this – when they’re hard and green. This is because bananas have to travel many miles before they arrive at a store. On trucks and boats and trains bananas travel all over the world. There are special boats just for bananas and special trains that keep them just cool enough so that they will get ripe while traveling. If bananas are picked when they are ripe (成熟的), they will spoil on the way.
1.What’s the weather like in places where bananas grow?
A. Dry and cold B. Cold and wet C. Wet and hot D. Hot and dry
2.The fruit of banana plants come from________.
A. a stalk B. a tree C. a seed D. a root
3.Bananas are picked long before they are _____________.
A. green B. ripe C. hard D.red
4.Which of the following is NOT true according to the passage?
A. All bananas are eaten as fruit.
B. Some banana plants grow taller than a house.
C. Bananas get ripe on their way to the store.
D. It takes about a year before bananas are ready to be picked.
Susan, the US
My best friend is Fanny. She is clever and interesting. We always look after each other. The first week we met, I got sick and she looked after me every day.
Betty, England
My best friend’s Ana. She is honest and serious. We were born in the same city in England. Then I moved to America with my family. I thought I would never see Ana again. When I went to college in New York,, Ana and I shared the same room!
Ken, Japan
I love to spend time with Daisuke because he is funny and smart. We enjoy talking about the funny things we did when we were children , and tell the same stupid jokes over and over again.
Lily , Australia
Linda is very confident girl and she is really kind. Some people may wonder why Linda and I are best friends because we are totally different, but I think this is why we are such good friends.
1.Who is Susan’s best friend?
A. Ana B. Fanny C. Linda D. Daisuke
2.Where is Ken from
A. Australia B. The US C. England D. Japan
3.What is Linda like
A. Confident and kind B. Funny and smart
C. Honest and serious D. Clever and interesting
One day I was putting some donated tents into my truck when something sharp(尖锐的) got into my left eye. Immediately I fell down and knew it was
I was taken to a and the doctors there operated on me but couldn't my eye. When they told me the news, I really wanted to die. Everything seemed in front of me.
Even after I got my man-made eye, I still felt very sad. To make things worse, I lost my as a transportation officer because of worries about my driving ability.
But one morning, I woke up and the was on, and there was a 16-year-old girl. She had been seriously burned on her legs and was learning to again. She wore a big smile, saying, "You can never give up. " It seemed that she said this specially to _ . At that moment, I felt and thought," This is just an eye. Get over it."
Soon I really got over it and myself. It's almost 12 years since my accident, and now I can do anything that I used to do. No one can even I have a man-made eye, because the new one is so good. And I haven't got my old job back, I've got my driving license again.
So be cheerful in face of any bad . You will never truly know yourself until you have been tested by a very difficult situation. No matter how your problem is, just keep up. Now I have only one eye, but I see things a lot more
1.A. safe B. bad C. true D. careful
2.A. store B. school C. hotel D. hospital
3.A. test B. open C. save D. cover
4.A. dark B. natural C. wonderful D. meaningful
5.A. truck B. tent C. job D. license
6.A. light B. radio C. recorder D. TV
7.A. sing B. walk C. write D. read
8.A. doctors B. drivers C. me D. herself
9.A. encouraged B. frightened C. tired D. pleased
10.A. changed B. hurt C. taught D. helped
11.A. describe B. find C. explain D. promise
12.A. because B. after C. though D. unless
13.A. behaviour B. luck C. influence D. habit
14.A. serious B. simple C. strange D. silly
15.A. difficultly B. carefully C. differently D. clearly
—Would you like to go out for a walk with us?
— ______ ,but I must finish my homework first.
A.Of course not B.That’s all right
C.Yes, I’d love to D.Yes, I do
— What are you searching the Internet for ?
— I am trying to find out _______.
A. Why is our Chinese ping-pong team able to win every time .
B. How to buy a ticket to Beijing online.
C. When will the new movie The Hobbit II on.
D .How can we protect our environment.
The medicine may help with your illness, but it may make you _____ , so you must be careful not to drive a car after taking such a medicine.
A. healthyB. strange C. tiredD. Bored