They play many different kinds of music-from traditional Thai songs to music by Beethoven. Both children and adults love this group. What makes them so popular? Is it their music? Their looks? Yes, its both of these things, but it's also something else: they’re elephants.
These musical elephants are from the Thai Elephant Conservation Center(TECC)in Lampang. The TECC protects elephants. It teaches people to understand and care for these huge, but gentle（温顺的） animals, And like many zoos around the world, the TECC encourages elephants to paint.
Richard Lair works with TECC. He knew that elephants hear better than they see. So he had an idea: if elephants are intelligent and they have good hearing, maybe they can play music. To test his idea, Lair and a friend started the Thai Elephant Orchestra(管弦乐队). During a show elephants play different kinds of instruments, including the drums. The animals also use their voices and trunks(象鼻)to make sounds.
But can elephants really, make music properly? Yes, says Lair. They’re very creative. Humans may encourage the animals to play instruments, but the elephants make their own songs; they don’t just copy their trainers or other people. There are now CDS of the group's music, which make money for the TECC. And the music these articles create is pretty amazing.
1.The elephants at the TECC_______________.
A.see better than they hear B.are encouraged to paints
C.can't create their own music D.make their own instruments
2.Richard Lair started the Thai Elephant Orchestra because he_____________.
A.was quite interested in playing music B.needed to make money for the TECC
C.thought elephants could play music D.wanted to be famous in Thailand
3.What might be the best title for the text?
A.Teaching Elephants to Paint B.Elephants in Danger
C.smart TECC Trainers D.An Unusual Orchestra.
Toys and games are fun, but inventing them is serious business. Big toy companies treat it even more serious, because the more toys they sell, the more money they make. They have adults who do nothing but think up new toys. Sometimes they even work in locked rooms so no one can steal their ideas!
But not every new toy is invented that way. Some of the best inventions are made by kids.
Thirteen- year old Casey Golden loved to play golf(高尔夫). He invented a way to make the game more fun. He Invented a new golf tee(球座). It is called the Bio tees Most golf tees are made from wood, but Casey’s tee is made out of recycled paper. It does not harm the environment. Casey started his own company to make his new tee. He’s already had orders for millions of them.
Jessica Peach invented a toy when she was only eight. Jessica likes to jump rope. She jumps alone and she jumps with friends. To jump alone, you need a short rope. With friends, you need a long rope. So Jessica invented a new kind of jump rope. The length of Jessica s jump rope can be modified. It can be made long to jump with friends. Or it can be made short to jump alone. When you are done jumping, you can even turn the jump rope into a belt(带子), Now Jessica has a business to sell her jump ropes.
Do you have a great idea for a new invention? Give your idea a try. It may become the next Biotee or latest jump ropes.
1.In big toy companies, ___________ is serious business.
A.playing games B.inventing toys C.locking rooms D.stealing ideas
2.The Biotee______________.
A.was invented by a 13-year-old girl B.is harmful to the environment
C.is not different from most golf tees D.is made out of recycled paper
3.Paragraph 4 is mainly about______________.
A.the best inventions made by kids B.Jessica Peach's favorite activity
C.Jessica Peach and the latest jump rope D.Casey Golden and the new golf tee
4.What does the underlined word "modified" in Paragraph 4 mean?
A.调整 B.忽略 C.估计 D.确定
A:Hello?
B:Hi. 1.
A: No, sorry. Sandra's not in at the moment.
B: Oh. Do you know when she"ll be back?
A: 2.
B: OK. Well, could I leave a message for her?
A: 3.
B: Could you ask her to give me a call this evening?
A: Sure. 4.
B: Bella, I'm a colleague(同事)from work. 5.
A: All right. I'll tell her.
A.No, I' ve no idea.
B.She's got my phone number
C.Yes, of course.
D.Who's answering the phone?
E.Could I have your name, please.
F.Is that Sandra?
G.I'll call later.
Does anybody sit down and watch TV these day ? When my parents were growing up ,they only had a few channels to choose from.If you _______ your favorite program,it was just bad luck--you didn’t have a _______ of seeing it again unless you had a video recorder . The TV was the center of the house . _______ planned what show they wanted to see and cooked their dinners so that they could finish eating in time to watch it .At school ,children _______ the shows they watched the night before and because there weren’t many programs for kids ,they all watched the _______ thing .
When I grew up ,the TV was bigger and a lot thinner than the TVs of my parents’ time .TV had better sound and a remote control to _______ between the many channels .But the TV was _______ an important piece of electrical equipment in the house and we all sat _______ it on a Saturday night to watch something as a family.
These days, TV just doesn't t seem to be so _______. People don' t even need a TV. They can watch them on phones__________ and wherever they like. And in many houses the TV set sits forgotten in the corner of the living room, waiting for the day when the family sits down together again and turns it on.
1.A.missed B.watched C.avoided D.recorded
2.A.list B.habit C.way D.chance
3.A.Classmates B.Families C.Children D.Friend
4.A.put off B.agreed with C.took up D.talked about
5.A.boring B.sing C.same D.right
6.A.cover B.change C.match D.stay
7.A.yet B.never C.still D.even
8.A.around B.in C.above D.along
9.A.useless B.expensive C.important D.ancient
10.A.whenever B.however C.whatever D.whoever
A banker was on holiday. He was walking on a beautiful beach near a small village. He saw a fisherman in his_______ with a few fish in it.
“Great fish! ”he said.“ _______ did it take you to catch them?”
“Not very long”, answered the fisherman.
"Why didn't you stay at sea longer to catch some more? asked the banker.
"There are just enough fish here to _______my family, answered the fisherman.
Then the banker asked, But what do you do the rest of the time?
"I sleep late, I play with my kids, _______I relax. In the evening, I go to see my friends in the village. We drink wine and play the guitar. I’m _______than you think. Life here isn’t as...”
“I have an MBA from Harvard University, the banker _______."And I can help you. You're not fishing as much as you can. If you start fishing for longer periods of time, you’ll get enough money from selling the fish to buy a bigger boat. Then with the _______ you' ll get from catching and selling more fish, you could buy a second boat, and then a third one, and so on. Then _______selling your fish to shops, you could sell them directly to a fish factory, or even _______your own factory.”
“And then? "asked the fisherman.
"Then you' ll be able to leave your little village for the big city, where you could direct the company and you will________ millions.”
"Millions? But then what?
"Then you can retire（退休）, live in a small village by the sea, go to the beach, sleep late, play with your kid...”
1.A.house B.kitchen C.boat D.sea
2.A.How long B.When C.How much D.How
3.A.serve B.cost C.treat D.feed
4.A.though B.so C.and D.but
5.A.lazier B.busier C.cleverer D.kinder
6.A.turned up B.cried out C.ran away D.broken in
7.A.money B.success C.time D.interest
8.A.instead of B.thanks to C.except for D.because of
9.A.save B.find C.open D.sell
10.A.dream B.make C.lose D.spend
—It was nice talking to you. The plane is taking off, so I have to go.
—______OK.I will miss you a lot.
A.why not? B.Good point. C.How come? D.Take care
